


Ocean Breathes Salty

by NoheaAloha



Series: Ocean Breathes Salty [1]
Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: Angst, Big John Goes Missing, Child Abuse, Everyone is going through it, Fluff, Gen, JJ goes through it, John B. goes through it, Kooks versus Pogues, Marijuana, Partying, Pogue Reunion, Pope tutoring JJ and keeping him in school, Surfing, Thank god for Pope, a LOT of marijuana, but there are good times too, high school fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:48:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 213,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26304421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoheaAloha/pseuds/NoheaAloha
Summary: A year before they were looking for the gold, JJ, John B., Pope and Kiara were just trying to survive tenth grade.JJ is struggling between what's right and what's easy, John B. is struggling with his dad's disappearance and Kie and Pope are struggling with their own problems while trying to hold them all together.(100% a JJ fic)
Series: Ocean Breathes Salty [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2196402
Comments: 449
Kudos: 581





	1. Ocean Breathes Salty

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a continuation of Stir It Up, which covered their ninth grade year, but it can be read on it's own. There are a few very minor original characters mentioned in this from there but they are brief!

“You know, for being such a nerd, you aren’t bad at driving this thing. I’m kind of impressed, Pope!” JJ yelled over the engine of his dirt bike. 

“This is it. I’m going to die. I can officially kiss college goodbye. Goodbye forensic pathology. Goodbye any chance of a future.” Pope yelled back as he turned down the Chateau’s driveway. 

“Slow down, Pope! Pope, put the fucking brakes on! Watch out for the mailbox!” JJ yelled as Pope approached John B.’s house at the same speed as he had driven on the road here. 

Pope slammed on the front brakes instead of the rear like JJ had shown him. The bike tipped over and they both fell off, rolling a little before stopping.

“JJ? You ok?” Pope said as he groaned and picked his head up. 

“What the hell, Pope! You almost broke my baby! I told you, you have to use the front brakes coming in hot like that!” JJ said as he sat up and massaged his shoulder. He got up and crouched next to his bike, checking it over. 

“Sorry. But maybe if you weren’t always high, I wouldn’t have to drive your stupid baby and you could have driven!” Pope said back. He helped JJ pick the bike back upright and pretended to know what they were looking for as JJ checked it. 

“What are you two idiots doing? I look out my window and see you almost crash into my house and then see you get yeeted into the grass.” John B. came outside, laughing. 

“Somebody decided it would be a good idea to get high while waiting for me to finish work and then couldn’t drive his own bike over here!” Pope said, hoping that John B. would agree that that was stupid and be on his side. 

“You got the good stuff, JJ?” John B. said, walking over to JJ’s backpack on the ground and rooting through it. Pope threw up his hands and rolled his eyes.

“Of effing course. Only the best. And I got a shit-ton of it too. So you’re welcome.” JJ said as he headed inside. 

“Dude. How much money do you make at the marina?! There’s like three hundred dollars in here!” JJ turned around and saw John B. pulling out a stack of twenties tied together with a rubber band from his bag. He went back over and snatched it from him, shoving it in his pocket instead. 

“Nonya.” JJ said as he grabbed his backpack and pulled out the weed, shoving it at John B. before turning back inside.

“You did not just say nonya. What are we, eleven?” Pope said, but he followed them inside too. 

“It’s a classic line, Pope. Nonya will never die.” 

“Agreed. Answer my question though, JJ. How much do you make and how about you hook your best friend up? I’m tired of busting my ass all day on Kook’s yachts and making minimum wage!” John B. said, throwing himself down on the couch and starting to roll a blunt. 

“I don’t make that much, John B. Relax. It’s just that I’ve been saving up.” JJ lied as he subconsciously reached into his pocket and touched the stack of money. Truth was, ever since he had started helping his dad with the smugglers, he had had more money than he had ever had in his life. 

Probably not a lot by most people’s standards, but way more than he made at the country club or any other shitty part time job he had had before. And way more than the average teenager on the Cut was making.

Of course, working with his dad was no walk in the park. His dad only gave him a small cut, keeping the rest for himself, which meant he was also experiencing an unusual increase in income. The work was unpredictable, sometimes they would work all week on a project, other times, they could go two weeks without anything. Luke spent his money basically as fast as he earned it and JJ tried to resist doing the same thing, but he couldn’t help it either. It was against his nature to save. 

He had almost immediately bought a used iPhone, tired of being the only one of his friends who had to rely on chance and timing and good luck to meet up. He didn’t like texting, but he loved being able to call his friends and make plans and bother them from anywhere on the island where there was service. 

JJ had also started smoking even more weed than usual, relying on it heavily to deal with the increased time he had to spend with his dad. With weed, it was almost bearable. Without it, it was torture. He tried not to think about the things his dad said to him (or didn’t say to him) during their long hours together and his go to solution for forgetting things was always to get high.

He had told his friends that his dad was back at the marina and that he was working there with him, but he knew they were suspicious. There was only so much a fifteen year old made at a second rate marina.

John B. laughed at him. “You haven’t saved up since you tried last year and ended up spending it all as soon as you put it into the jar.”

JJ tried to laugh with him, but he couldn’t help but feel depressed when he thought about the beginning of last year, when he had been forced to hide all of his pathetic paychecks from the country club in a jar in John B.’s room, away from his dad. He had lied and said it was for a new surfboard, when in reality he spent most of it before it made it to the jar because he needed it for food and clothes and gas. Things his dad had been refusing to provide for him. 

“I think that’s great, JJ. Saving your money is always a good idea. Leave him alone, John B.” Pope said in his defense. 

JJ clapped Pope on the shoulder. “Thank you, Pope. Some of us don’t like to just spend all of our hard earned money on ugly ass shirts and candy.”

“That’s funny because I only see one person here in an ugly ass shirt.” John B. said back.

“Yeah me too.” JJ said, laughing at John B. 

“I meant you, dumbass.”

“I’m literally wearing a blue t-shirt. How is this ugly?” JJ asked. Pope went into the kitchen to get a soda.

“It’s called style, my friend. It’s supposed to evolve as we age. I’m going through an evolution and you’re still stuck at Kmart in the clearance section.” John B. said as he lit his blunt.

“First of all, you aren’t going through an evolution. You’ve been wearing those ugly ass shirts for almost two years now. And second of all, look who has the fat stacks because I shop and save at Kmart and look who can’t even afford his own weed.” JJ shot back, smirking as John B. did an offended face. 

“But do you look good, is the question?” John B. said.

“Obviously. The girls love it. I’ve never hooked up as much as I have this summer. I’m sad it’s ending and all of the Tourons will be going home. They’ll think of me often.” JJ said, throwing himself down next to John B., leaning back and resting his dirty boot on his shoulder.

“Get your gross ass boot off of me. I’m trying to get high here!” 

“Yeah, with my weed!” JJ said, but he drowned out John B.’s response as his phone buzzed and he pulled it out to read the message from his Mimi. 

_“Call me when you can, baby. No rush, but I’ve got some news.”_

JJ’s stomach dropped nervously when he read the text and he sat upright. Mimi never asked him to call her out of the blue. She pretty much stuck to their schedule of talking once a month and they had been texting now that he had a phone. His mind was going all over the place with what kind of news she could have. 

JJ knew she was happy that they could communicate more frequently now that he had a phone and she sent him pictures all the time. Pictures of his cousins, pictures of her on the beach, in her kitchen, in her backyard. Mimi loved selfies. She also loved being able to finally talk to JJ without having to deal with Luke. But she never said she had news and told him to call her.

“Earth to JJ? And you said we were attached to our phones. I could light the house on fire and you wouldn’t get up!” John B. said as he pushed JJ’s shoulder.

JJ shook his head and put his phone in his pocket. That was a tomorrow problem. Tonight was their last Saturday night of the summer before school started Monday and they were going to the Boneyard to enjoy the last party of the summer. 

“Whatever John B. You wouldn’t pay attention either if you got as many booty calls as I did.”

Pope laughed as he came back into the room. “As if. I bet that was your grandma. Keep dreaming and maybe one day you’ll both get as lucky as I did with Ashley.”

Pope had been dating the girl from his honors math class since June and wouldn’t shut up about it. If it wasn’t so annoying, it probably would have been sweet. But John B. and JJ couldn’t understand why Pope wanted to be tied down to one girl all summer.

“It was _your_ grandma actually. Asking me when I was coming over so she could get the D.” JJ said back. He knew it was a shitty comeback but Pope set himself up for that.

John B. choked on his smoke and JJ slapped him on the back, smiling. “Easy there, buddy.”

Pope rolled his eyes. “Really? ‘Your grandma’ jokes? Are you sure you turned fifteen and not five? And don’t disrespect my grandma. You think my dad’s scary? You should see his mom.”

“Dude, we have seen his mom.” John B. said at the same time as JJ said, “I’ll be seeing to her tonight.”

Pope poured soda on JJ’s head as payback.

____________________________________________________

The Boneyard was crawling with freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors when they got there. The seniors must have really come through because there were more kegs than JJ had ever seen on the beach before.

He, John B. and Pope separated for the first half. JJ stayed near the bonfire with Maya, Pope disappeared with Ashley to talk about equations (at least that’s what JJ assumed they did) and John B. disappeared into the crowd. 

He and Maya made out and danced and went their separate ways towards the end. JJ saw her going over to Jaden from his English class. They both had decided in the beginning of the summer to be friends with benefits, both agreeing that they were way too young to have any kind of commitment. 

He wandered over towards the other side of the bonfire, looking for his friends. He saw Pope and Ashley having an intense conversation near the trees and sent up a silent prayer to anyone who was listening that they weren’t breaking up. Pope was unbearable in a relationship, but JJ didn’t know if he could handle an emotionally rejected Pope right now. 

He froze for a second when he saw John B. sitting with Kie in the middle territory between the Kooks' side and the Pogues' side. He knew he talked to her sometimes and that they had been hanging out with Pope a few times in the past month. He had heard that Sarah and her had finally had a falling out that seemed to be long term and that she had been abandoned by the Kooks. Which probably sucked for her. Not that he cared.

JJ didn’t know if he felt differently towards Kiara now that he knew she was officially black listed by the Kooks. He had thought about it a few times in the past month, but he refused to go with John B. and Pope when they hung out with her. 

He had understood why she had begun hanging out with the Kooks in the first place, of course he did. Everyone deserved to have friends at school and he had been happy for Kie at first when she had met Sarah. It was the abrupt and complete abandonment that he had a problem with. He didn’t know if he could ever get over that. That and the fact that he felt like she was only back with them because she had no other options.

He decided to go over to them, mostly because he was drunk and so he cared less about the whole situation. 

Kie noticed him coming over first and smiled at him. He couldn’t help smiling back a little. He noticed she was dressing more like the old Kie again and it made him feel a little better. The Kook clothes hadn’t fit with her. She was still wearing crop tops, but she had lost the full face of makeup and the silver jewelry, wearing the string bracelets again. 

“Hey, JJ.” Kie said to him as he sat down on the other side of John B.

JJ gave her a nod and stole John B.’s cup from his hands, downing it in one go. 

John B. ripped it from his hands, but he finished it first and gave him a triumphant smirk. “Gross. I don’t want your STDs on my cup.” John B. said, throwing his cup into the sand. 

“That’s not how STDs work, idiot. And if anyone has one, it’s you.” JJ said at the same time as Kie said “Pick that up right now, John B. Do you know how many animals you can kill from just one plastic cup being left on the beach?”

John B. held up one of his hands to each of them and picked up the cup, throwing it at JJ. It bounced off his head and he held onto it so it didn’t land back in the sand. 

“You guys ready for sophomore year?” Kie asked them both. She was looking mostly at JJ and he knew she was surprised he hadn’t snapped at her yet. 

“School and I have moved on from each other. I’m good without her.” JJ said back, looking at the bonfire. 

Kie laughed and John B. said “As if she’ll let you go. You’re not sixteen yet. You’re still in a legal relationship with her whether you want to be or not.”

Kiara looked slightly concerned when John B. referenced JJ dropping out of school but didn’t say anything. 

“How about you, Kie? You ready to go back with all the Kooks?” John B. asked her. 

“Yeah, it must be so hard. You sure you can handle that? What with your swimming pool and fancy cafeteria desserts. Hey do you guys have butlers there? I heard you don’t even have to carry your own backpacks.” JJ said, throwing the cup into the air and catching it again.

Kiara rolled her eyes and stood up. “I’ll survive. Catch you later, John B. Bye, JJ.” She said as she walked off towards the path.

“Nice going, dumbass.” John B. said to JJ. He grabbed the cup from him in midair and threw it at his head again.

“What? It was just a question, bro. Don’t know why she had to go all sensitive.”

“Maybe because she’s going back to a school where everyone hates her and she has no friends?” John B. said, looking at JJ like he was an idiot. 

“At least there’s a pool, dude.” JJ said back, shrugging. He did feel a little bad for Kie, but he wasn’t about to let John B. know that. He would freak out and think there was a chance at a Pogue reunion again.

“I give up. I try to teach you how to be mature and it’s like ‘Poof!’ In one ear and out the other.” John B. said as he stood up. JJ followed him. 

“That’s rich coming from a guy who almost made Pope cry the other day when you wouldn’t give him back his calculator.” JJ said.

“He was doing math homework in the summer! I was helping him. Two completely different situations.” John B. said. 

“Speaking of Pope. Shit. That’s not good.” JJ said as they saw him sitting on his own, head in his hands on a log near the fire. 

“We knew this was coming. Well, everyone except Pope knew it was coming. That chick was way too focused on school to be in a relationship that went past summer. And that’s saying something because Pope is like obsessed with school.” John B. said.

JJ agreed and they went over to help Pope back to the Chateau. This was going to be a long night.

______________________________________________________________

The next morning, JJ got up around ten and snuck out of the Chateau without waking up a snoring Pope from where he was sleeping on the porch. They had been awake for hours after the Boneyard, convincing him that there would be other girls and that at least the second love of his life was starting Monday (school). It hadn’t worked too well and eventually Pope had fallen asleep on the porch, claiming he needed to be alone. 

JJ pushed his dirt bike down the driveway before starting it up so they wouldn’t wake up and drove to Rixon’s Cove.

He checked that he had service and took a deep breath before dialing Mimi’s number. 

“Hello?” Mimi said as she answered. JJ couldn’t help but laugh, even with caller id, Mimi always answered the phone like she had no idea who was calling. 

“Mimi, it’s me, JJ. Calling you like you asked.” JJ said.

“Oh, hi baby! Thanks for calling me so fast. How are you? Did you get those pictures I sent of Jasmine riding her bike without training wheels?” Mimi asked. 

JJ smiled. “Yeah I got them. Did you tell her that I said she was a badass?” He asked.

“In a way that was edited for a six year old, yes.” Mimi laughed.

“So what’s up? Is everything okay?” JJ asked.

“Everything’s okay, sweetie. Are you sitting in a good spot? Your dad isn’t around, is he?” Mimi said.

“Yeah, I’m just on the beach. No, he isn’t around.”

“Good. So, I don’t know if she would want me to tell you this, but your mom is-” JJ immediately tensed up and felt his heart beat faster. 

He and Mimi never spoke about his mom and he never asked. Mimi hadn’t brought her up in any direct way since his disastrous trip to Florida in the seventh grade when his mom had crashed into the house, high, and yelled at Mimi for talking to JJ behind her back. Not that she ever talked to him herself or wanted anything to do with him. 

“Well, there’s no easy way to say it, but you deserve to know. Your mom is having a baby, sweetie. Soon. She and her boyfriend are living about thirty minutes from us and she seems like she’s been staying clean. She’s keeping the baby. A little boy.”

JJ’s eyes unfocused from where he had been looking out at the ocean and he felt his heart thumping and blood rushing to his head. His stomach dropped and he somehow managed to keep the phone up to his ear. 

A little boy. And she’s keeping him. It was like a sick joke. 

“JJ, are you there, baby? I want to talk through this with you. I wasn’t sure whether I should tell you or not but I think you deserve to know that you are going to be a big brother. I’ve been talking with your mom a lot and I think she might try to give you a call soon if you’d be open to that. It seems like being pregnant has really helped put things into perspective for her.”

It was too much for JJ to take in. He knew Mimi was just doing what she thought was best for him, but he could have gone his whole life without hearing about his mom replacing him with a whole new child and suddenly deciding she could be a parent to this random baby after abandoning him. 

“JJ, please talk to me. Shit. I’m so sorry sweetie, I thought I was doing the right thing telling you, but I think I got it all wrong. Please, please, please try to forget about it and put it into the back of your mind. Forget I mentioned it.”

JJ loved Mimi but he couldn’t think straight. He needed to be off the phone right now. He could call her back later when he worked out his thoughts. He pushed the end call button and threw his phone next to him in the sand. 

The thought of his mom in Florida, living her life happily without him was one that he thought about very rarely. He had even managed to stop thinking about her entirely when he interacted with Mimi, which had been hard at first. He knew his mom was on drugs and had been for years. He knew she and Mimi weren’t very close and that she bounced in and out of her life just like she had in JJ’s. And he knew she had an endless stream of boyfriends. But he had never expected her to get clean and have a do over. Now she really was going to erase JJ fully from her memory with her new son. 

He grabbed his phone, stood up and walked all the way over to where he had parked his dirt bike. He took deep breaths, trying to calm down enough to drive. He felt his phone buzzing and ignored it. He thought about throwing the phone to the ground and breaking it. He decided to go smoke instead and get really high.

JJ got onto his bike and sped off. He headed home without thinking, subconsciously seeking out his dad, the only other person on the island who could possibly understand how crazy this was. 

He got off the bike and jumped up his front steps.

“Dad?” He called out. He walked into the kitchen, stopping to throw his buzzing phone down onto the counter. His dad didn’t answer so he headed into his room and pushed open his window. He ripped open his bag and pulled out his weed and rolling papers, quickly rolling a blunt before putting it in his mouth. His hands were shaking so he kept missing when he tried to light it. 

After JJ was solidly high, he went out onto the porch and found his dad working on a motor. They had finished a job a few days before and were in between projects, so Luke usually worked on the random boat motors they had in their yard in the interim so he could sell them under the table. 

Luke looked up at him for a second and then looked back at the motor. “What the hell are you crying about?”

JJ frowned before reaching up to feel his cheek. He hadn’t realized that he had been crying until his dad said that. He knew he should leave and go to John B.’s instead, he should know better than to try to get any kind of advice or comfort from his dad, but John B. just wouldn’t understand fully because he didn't know his mom. JJ stayed on the porch, even though he knew better then to cry around his dad and expect anything but abuse to be hurled back at him.

Maybe if he told his dad what he had just heard, Luke would be able to understand and help him through it in a way. He knew he was being naive, but he couldn’t help but feel like he had to tell him the news. He was the only one who knew his mom and would understand how out of character this was. 

“Mimi just called me.”

“And you got so sad you had to cry? What’d she do, stop calling you ‘baby’?”

Just the word baby put JJ back into emotional turmoil, despite his high. He knew his dad was just making fun of the way Mimi talked to him, but he couldn’t help it when another tear fell down his cheek. Luke either didn’t notice or didn’t care. He wiped it away angrily, removing his hat so his hands had something to do.

“No….she said….she told me... that my mom was-” 

JJ stopped talking when Luke dropped his wrench at the mention of his mom and turned to look at him. His eyes were cold. JJ wasn’t sure if he should continue so he just flicked his eyes between his dad’s face and his hands. He fiddled with his hat nervously.

“Spit it out.” His dad said, glaring at him.

JJ struggled with the words. He felt his heart beating rapidly and he forced himself to focus on his dad’s hands wrapped around the edge of the table. He tried to move his mouth but no words came out. 

“JJ. Spit it out and stop wasting my damn time.” Luke said.

“She’s having a baby.” JJ got out. Just saying it out loud made him feel a hundred times worse. It was almost like saying it made it real. 

Luke raised his eyebrows and gave JJ an unimpressed look. “Huh.” He said back. 

JJ looked at him, wondering if that was really all he would say about that. 

“I mean, I don’t know what you’re crying to me about. You ain’t seen her in years anyways. Why do you care what she does?” 

JJ thought about it and realized that it was true. He shouldn’t care. He should just do what Mimi had told him to do and forget she said it. He didn’t need to think about it and let it ruin his year. 

“I guess you’re right.” He said when he found his voice.

“Of course I’m right. Is it a boy or a girl? She say?” Luke asked. 

“A boy.” JJ’s stomach clenched at the reminder.

Luke laughed. “And you’re feeling real torn up about her replacing you. What have I been telling you? If she wanted to be here for you, she would be. She’s gonna do the same thing to this kid that she did to you. Just give her a minute. She can’t be a mom. You’ll see I’m right. Woman ain’t right in the head.”

JJ felt both like shit and a little better when he listened to his dad’s words. He could tell his dad was trying in his own twisted way to tell JJ for the first time ever that it was his mom’s fault and not his that she wasn’t in his life. It was more than he had ever said before. He knew his mom was too fucked up to be anyone’s parent. But he hoped for the new baby’s sake that that wasn’t true. He didn’t want him to have the same experience he had, even if it did make him sick to think about.

“There’s beer in the cooler. Quit crying and help me with this motor.” Luke said. 

That was about the equivalent of a hug and an “I love you” coming from Luke. 

____________________________________________________________

Sophomore year started and JJ skipped the first few days. He worked with his dad on a new project, getting high before they started and drowning out the criticism thrown at him. He surfed after he was done before the sun set and avoided his friends. He felt like shit and didn’t want to explain anything to them. He just wanted to be alone.

He had left his phone at his house, letting the battery die and counting down the hours before he was tracked down by John B. and Pope. He made it until Wednesday at sunset. Part of him knew he wanted to be found by them because he chose to surf in their usual place instead of one of the harder to find coves nearby.

John B. was waiting on the beach when he came out of the ocean. He knew he shouldn’t be surfing alone when the beach was almost totally abandoned but he hoped John B. wouldn’t lecture him about it. He couldn't find it in himself to care about anything right now.

He threw his board down and sat down next to him on the sand but didn’t say anything. 

“Have you heard about this thing called school? Yeah, it started three days ago. Would have helped if you had had your phone and we could have reminded you instead of you going dark.” John B. said. JJ could hear some anger in his voice but could tell he was trying to keep it neutral. 

“I was working.” He mumbled back, lying down in the sand and putting his arm over his eyes. 

“Well, tell your stupid dad that you can’t work during the week because school started. You’re gonna get held back if you do what you did last year.” Yep. John B. was definitely pissed. But JJ was angrier.

“No. I’m not just gonna give up the chance to make money to go to school and sit in some classroom listening to the same shit. I’m not going. Besides. Now that I have money I can finally enter into some surf competitions and start to build a name. So I won’t need school.”

John B. didn’t care about school too much, but even he knew that that was a stupid plan. And deep down, JJ knew it too. But he didn’t care. 

“JJ, I don’t even need to answer that. You have to go to school. We’re fifteen. You can’t just drop out because you want to surf.” He said. 

JJ didn’t answer. He knew John B. was right but he felt like shit and wanted something good to cling on to. 

John B. knew not to push JJ when he was like this and just waited. He poured some sand over JJ’s arm until he pushed him off. 

“My mom’s having a baby.” He said, still covering his face with his arm so John B. couldn’t see him.

“What? When? How do you know? With who? Where is she? Isn’t she on drugs?” John B. asked quickly, pushing JJ’s arm off his face so he could see him. 

JJ sat up and pushed John B. harder than he probably needed to to get him to shut up. 

“I don’t fucking know, John B.! Just shut up, ok.” He said, sitting up and putting his elbows on his knees before burying his face in his arms again once John B. stopped talking. 

John B. was silent for a minute before he said, “That sucks, man. I’m sorry.” He reached out his hand for JJ and JJ almost rejected it and told him they weren’t kids anymore but he couldn’t help but take it and squeeze it hard. 

He didn’t realize he was crying until he felt John B.’s arm around him.


	2. Pogues for Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The J's are going through it in this one, but a miracle happens at the end to make up for it.

“Go away, John B.” JJ said when he woke up late one morning to John B. barging in through his window. John B. wasn’t used to being the one who climbed through windows, so he ended up falling through and knocking over JJ’s only lamp.

“Oh my god, why would you put a lamp right there?” John B. said as he struggled to get off the floor. 

“I put a lamp right there because I don’t expect people to come thundering in like a whale in a pawn shop!” JJ said from where he laid in his bed. He had a hoodie on with the hood up and was buried under a pile of blankets. He didn't care enough to get out of bed for John B. 

“It’s a bull in a china shop.” John B. said as he got up and picked up the lamp. “And that’s a great point. I wouldn’t have to thunder in here if you would actually, you know, come to school with me a few times a week.”

JJ glared at John B. and closed his eyes, hoping that if he ignored him, he would disappear and he could go back to sleep. He cracked one eye open when he didn’t hear anything to see if it worked. John B. was standing over him with his arms crossed. Damn.

“Isn’t it Saturday?” JJ said.

“It’s literally a Tuesday. If you want me to keep count, it’s now the seventh day of school and you haven’t come to a single one of them. If you keep missing them, eventually they’re gonna come after you and then what? You know your dad is the one who will get in trouble? How will that go over?”

JJ flipped onto his stomach and pulled a blanket over his head. “He doesn’t care if I go. And I don’t know why you do. What’re you, Pope? We always skip.” He mumbled into his pillow.

John B. ripped the blanket off of him. JJ ignored him. He knew he could annoy John B. enough to get him to leave because John B. hated being ignored and usually would just give up and leave if JJ tried it. 

He heard a dramatic sigh and then scuffling before he heard the sound of a chair being dragged closer to his bed. He flipped back over and sat up onto his elbows. 

“Put it back, John B. There’s a reason it’s under my doorknob, you dumbass.”

“Where am I supposed to sit?” John B. said as he put the chair back. 

“At school? At your house? I don’t care, just leave me alone, man.” JJ said as he dropped back down onto his pillow. 

“I absolutely will not leave you alone. Your whole room reeks of weed, it's covered in dirty clothes and refusing to get a haircut like you did in fifth grade is not working to hide that shiner on your face now any better than it worked then. This is an intervention. Get up and come with me, even just for the afternoon, and I won’t bug you about school for the rest of the week. But you need to check in and we need to fix this shit because you’re living like a permanently stoned zombie.” John B. said as he sat down on the bed next to JJ. 

JJ groaned and closed his eyes and ignored him, pulling his hood over his face as much as possible. John B. was so annoying. 

“Alright, fine. If you’re not gonna go to school this year, neither am I. I’m not going back until you go.” John B. said, throwing himself down next to JJ and ripping his pillow out from under his head. 

“Fine. I don’t give a shit. And you thought that was gonna work. None of us need school, man. No one from the Cut goes to college anyways.” JJ said before adding, "Besides kids like Pope."

“I totally agree. Who needs school. Let’s just smoke weed all day and let our shitty dads hit us and make us feel like shit. And after that we can surf and then get high again and just lay in bed until we die. How come I didn’t see this before? Thanks for helping me see the light, JJ.”

JJ felt anger flare up in his chest and he violently grabbed his pillow back from John B. What did _he_ know? His dad was perfect. “Fuck off, John B. I don’t _let_ anyone hit me. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Just fuck off and go to school and I’ll see you when I fucking see you.”

“I’m gonna send Pope over to do the same thing if you don’t come with me. Actually, you know what? Forget Pope. I’m gonna go to Heyward and tell him and have him come over here and force you to school. Yeah, I’m gonna do that.” John B. sat up and made like he was going towards the window.

“I don’t care. He’s not my dad. Besides, he won’t care either. I don't know why you think he would.” JJ said, but the threat made him sit up a little bit.

“We'll see. See you later then, loser. Or should I say, Heyward will see you later.” John B. said as he climbed through JJ’s window. 

JJ knew John B. was bluffing and that it would be Pope he had to deal with next because John B. would never willingly get that close to Heyward. Heyward always tried to put them to work when they came too close and John B. hated working there. And he knew John B. wouldn’t talk about JJ’s problems with an adult because he knew what that could start. So JJ was safe for now. Not to mention the fact that John B. was scared of Heyward, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

Four hours later, JJ still hadn’t moved except to reach over for his bong on his nightstand and smoke. He and his dad had finished a project a few days ago and he had been hiding out in his room except to sneak out and surf ever since. Luke had gone crazy on him over the weekend when he misplaced some of his money and thought JJ had stolen it. He found it on the coffee table after Luke had given him more than a few bruises and Luke had just laughed and said he must have misplaced it. No apology. JJ had been avoiding him at all costs ever since, sneaking out to get food when it was quiet. 

He wasn’t surprised in the least bit when his window slid open again. He moved his eyes over to the window and rolled them when he saw Pope come through. He was only a little surprised when John B. followed him in after.

“Wow, Heyward looks different.” JJ said to them once they had both crawled in and stood up to look at him. 

“Shut up. I had to try Heyward Jr. first.” John B. said as he sat down at the end of JJ’s bed. JJ kicked him lightly.

“Alright, Heyward Jr. What do you want to say? Please say it and then take Bullwinkle with you so I can get back to doing what I was doing.” JJ said to Pope. 

Pope picked up JJ’s bong. “If I smoke with you, will you go to school?” He asked, knowing how much JJ always wanted him to join them.

“Nope. All you would do is act weird, cry and then go home. Not worth it.” JJ said. He put one arm under his head and pushed his hood off with his other so he could push his hair out of his eyes. 

“I’ve got nothing, John B. I’ll get my dad and see if he can scare him, I guess.” Pope shrugged at John B. and put JJ’s bong down. 

JJ perked up a little at that. John B. might be too scared to get Heyward or help from an adult, but Pope sure wouldn’t be. Still, he kept up his act. Heyward wouldn't care enough about him to come here. “Don’t care. Like I told John B., he ain’t my dad and he ain’t making me do shit.”

“Nice to see you’re still using the English language the same way at least.” Pope said. 

“Just leave me alone. Both of you. I’ll text you when I want to hang. Until then, I just want to be alone, smoke and surf.” JJ said.

“Sounds healthy and reasonable.” John B. said as he shoved JJ’s foot away from him when he kicked him. “We can call your grandma and tell on you. I know she’ll care.”

“Really? You’re going to call my grandma who lives all the way in another state and tattle on me? I’m shaking in my boots, bro.”

Pope picked up some dirty clothes from the floor and threw them at JJ. “You know what, JJ? No. I’m not doing this. I’m not going to just leave you alone to rot with your weed and your sad feels. You can be sad all you want and I’m sorry for what you’re going through and everything, but I worked too damn hard with you for the past three years to let you waste it all away. You owe it to me. Besides, we all know the school will catch up to you soon anyways and drag you back and that will be even more work for us. Just go to school tomorrow man. That’s all we’re asking.” Pope said, uncrossing his arms and walking towards the window.

“Really? A guilt trip?” JJ said from his bed. 

Pope stopped and looked over. “It’s not even a guilt trip. It’s just the truth. We worked for years together to keep you on track and make sure you didn't get held back and we made progress and I’m not letting you throw it all away. You owe it to me to be there tomorrow.” 

JJ sighed loudly and looked at his ceiling. “Fiiine. I’ll go to school tomorrow and get my work. But only so it doesn’t pile up too much. I’m not going to make going to school a regular thing this year. I’m just not.”

John B. and Pope looked at each other. JJ wanted to slap both of them for thinking that they won.

“Deal.” Pope said. 

_________________________________________________________

Pope’s guilt trip worked and JJ went back to school against his will. After one horrendous weekend of catching up on work with Pope, JJ realized (but would never admit) that his friends were right and that it was just going to be worse in the long run if he kept skipping everyday. 

He promised to go at least three times a week and Pope smiled so widely that JJ couldn’t help but smile back, even though he tried to cover it up. He told himself that he could drop out next year, when he was officially sixteen. It sucked having a summer birthday and being young for his grade.

In the first week of October, JJ realized for the first time that John B. wasn’t okay. Big John and he had been fighting more and while JJ was an expert in fighting with your dad, he wasn’t an expert in the kind of mutual, mostly respectful, verbal fights that they had and he didn’t know how to help John B. He was just used to one sided beatdowns with limited talking and any kind of willing participation on his part. 

Big John was going on longer trips and John B. was almost always moody when his dad wasn’t home. If JJ had thought it was bad last year, it was ten times worse this year. John B. didn’t care about school if his dad wasn’t around, he barely cared about going to work and he didn’t even care about partying unless he was sitting on the outskirts, drinking and getting high like some kind of sad ex-senior, clinging on to their glory days. It was all very out of character for John B. and JJ didn’t know how to handle it.

He was totally different than the John B. who had dragged JJ back to school last month. Now he was dragging JJ away from school and JJ couldn't say he liked the role change.

JJ helped him in the only way he knew how. Trying to cheer him up by doing increasingly wild shit together and providing him with a lot of weed, hoping that it would bring John B. some of the exhilaration and distraction that it brought him. 

On Saturday, he was down at the docks with Pope helping with grocery deliveries when he was approached by John B.’s annoying boss, who asked him if he knew where John B. was and why he hadn’t come to work that day. 

JJ thought on his feet and lied and said that he was sick and that it was his fault because he forgot to come down and tell the man for John B. The man had accepted it, telling him to pass along a warning for John B. that it couldn’t happen again or he would be fired. 

He hopped on his bike and drove to the Chateau, trying not to worry. John B. never missed work, as much as he complained about it. JJ hadn’t seen him since yesterday so he wanted to make sure he was okay since he knew Big John was away again this week. JJ tried to stay over as much as he could, but he had been having a hard time balancing working with his dad, school and a moody John B.

JJ went into the Chateau and stepped over their old pizza boxes and beer cans from two nights ago, only to find an almost identical situation to his last month, just with roles reversed. John B. was buried under his covers, hoodie on and hood up, sound asleep in bed at four o’clock in the afternoon. Dirty clothes were everywhere and he looked like he needed a shower. 

“Dude. It smells like something died in here. And I don’t just mean your work ethic.” JJ said as he cracked John B.’s window for him. 

John B. woke up at the noise and rubbed his eyes before glaring over at JJ. “Shut up and leave me alone, JJ. Seriously. I don’t want to see anyone right now. And close my fucking window, it’s freezing.” 

JJ tried not to be offended at John B.’s words, and tried to think of what he had said to him last year when they had had the same kind of fight. 

“Careful, John B. Last time you said that shit to me, you told me if you did it again you should leave your house and not me.”

“I’m not leaving my house. And I don’t mean you need to leave my house, either. I just mean leave me the fuck alone.” John B. shot back.

“I will if you are nice to me first and tell me what's up.” JJ said as he opened his backpack and pulled out his bag of weed. He held it up to John B.’s nose and was only slightly surprised when that made him sit up and take the covers off. 

“Only because you have weed.” John B. said as he got to work rolling. 

“I’ll take it. So what’s up? Why are you going all “me” on me?” JJ asked. “Your boss just cornered me on the docks and asked where you were. You missed work.”

John B. just shrugged and JJ tried to ignore the concern that he felt. Because the old John B. would freak out if he missed work. 

“What’d you say?” He asked without looking at JJ.

“That you were sick and that I forgot to tell him for you. He was really lame and said if it happened again you would be fired blah blah blah.”

“I’m gonna quit. I barely get paid and the Kooks treat me like shit anyways. I’ll just work with you at the marina.” John B. answered.

JJ freaked out a little internally, knowing that his cover story was at stake. “They aren’t hiring. Keep your dumb yacht job, trust me.” 

“What? Come on JJ, help me out. You of all people should understand not being able to work with Kooks. Why are you so fucking weird about your job?” John B. reached out his hand for JJ’s lighter but he didn’t give it to him yet. 

“I’m not. There’s just no room. They barely let me work there.” He said, nervously bouncing his knee. 

“Why are you nervous right now?”

“I’m not.” JJ said.

“You literally always bounce your knee when you’re nervous. What’s the deal? What are you, smuggling bodies or something?” John B. asked as he reached over and grabbed the lighter from JJ’s hand. 

JJ stopped bouncing his knee. He was supposed to be checking on John B. and seeing what was wrong with him and discovering his secrets, not the other way around. This was hitting too close to home. He decided to distract him and take advantage of John B.’s willingness to do more crazy JJ-led activities when his dad was away.

“There is no deal. Now shut up and listen to this. You know the Gilmores? That Kook family that always complains to Heyward if we deliver their groceries to the wrong back door at their Kook mansion?”

John B. nodded and rolled his eyes at the thought of them. “Yeah. They suck. What about them?”

“Well, I heard down on the dock today that they are away for the next two weeks.” JJ looked at John B., hoping he would get his point.

John B. didn’t disappoint. “And you want to break into their huge Kook mansion, that probably has a million cameras and lasers and steal some shit.”

“I have it on good authority that their yacht doesn’t have any cameras, lasers or locks that they actually use.” 

John B. didn’t answer right away and took a hit before passing it to JJ. “And you want to…?”

“Break into it and fuck with them. Steal some shit.” JJ said.

“And that will help us how?” John B. asked, but JJ could tell he was in already. 

“It will make us feel good. Think about how much shit we can buy if we take just one of their stupid diamond watches or gold encrusted plates, man. They won’t even notice. Plus, you wouldn’t have to work for the Kooks for a while with all of the money we make when we pawn the shit off.”

John B. pretended like he wasn’t interested and checked his phone while JJ talked. He closed it and threw it across his bed. 

“Alright. I’m in. Fuck the Kooks.”

“Fuck the Kooks is right, John B.” JJ said as he smiled at him and passed him the blunt.

__________________________________________________

  
  


Three weeks later, JJ realized for the first time that maybe he wasn’t the only Pogue who had really bad shit happen to him. Like really serious, life-altering shit. 

JJ had been staying over at the Chateau on and off for the past nine nights and even he was wondering when Big John would be back. The place was a wreck and so was John B. And so was JJ but he was too focused on John B. to think about that.

On the ninth day, JJ had woken up on the pullout to the sound of someone knocking hard on the front door of the Chateau. He had felt his heart rate increase before realizing that he wasn’t at home and called out to John B. 

“Dude. Someone’s at your door.” He called as he picked his head up to look out the window at who it was. He bolted upright when he saw Sheriff Peterkin on the porch in full uniform. 

He ran into John B.’s room, grabbing his backpack full of weed and his bong on the way and tossed it into the closet. He ripped John B.’s sheets off him and shook him. “John B.! Get up! Peterkin is literally outside your door and she wants in, man. She's probably here about the stupid yacht.”

John B.’s eyes bolted open and he shot out of bed. “Shit! Did you hide your shit? And the stupid Kook shit we took? Why is she here? How does she even know where I live? Should we just ignore her?”

They both screamed when Peterkin’s face appeared at John B.’s window and she raised her eyebrows at them. They stared at her and she pointed towards the front of the house like they were idiots. 

“Well go on, John B. She wants you to open the door for her. Don’t be shy. Let the sheriff in and show her around. It’s not like there are beer cans and drugs in here. Or stolen jewelry.”

“Hide your shit, JJ, what the fuck.” John B. said as he grabbed a t-shirt and put it on before walking into the living room and frantically throwing away beer cans. He kicked a few under the sofa and headed to the door. 

“I did. I’m just messing with you. Nothing illegal for her to see here at all. We won’t be going to juvie when she walks in and looks in your closet or anything.” JJ said as he followed him and sat back down on the pullout to provide backup for John B.

John B. looked over the room one last time frantically before he opened the door for Peterkin.

“Took you long enough. You sure you boys hid everything or do you want me to stand here for another five minutes and pretend I can’t hear everything you’re saying?”

JJ mouthed “We're going to juvie” at John B. and Peterkin looked at him and he couldn’t help but gulp before she looked back at John B. 

“So, I’m going to try to hide my surprise right now, and this isn’t even why I’m here, but I just came here from your high school. You know, the place you two are supposed to go to everyday from about eight in the morning until three in the afternoon. And they told me about two special friends who haven’t been coming to school too much. They told me about one in particular that hasn’t been coming much all year and the one I was looking for started to join in recently and was sure to be with him. You know anything about that, John B.?” Peterkin said as she looked around the room.

“No. I mean JJ and I were both just sick today, that’s all. We can’t wait to get back in the classroom and continue our education. Tell her, JJ.” John B. said and he swiveled around to look at JJ.

“Yeah. I mean, I don’t know a lot about these rumors, but I personally cannot wait to get back and see what I missed. I was so disappointed today when I missed my history class. We are learning all about the Misery Promise or something bomb like that. We’re hoping we’ll be back tomorrow, if our fevers break. Wouldn’t want to get anyone else sick, Sheriff Peterkin. You should actually probably stay back and talk to us from the porch” JJ said, one hand around his stomach and the other touching his forehead for authenticity.

“Nah, I’ll survive. But I sure hope so because it would be a shame if I checked back at the school next week and you both weren’t there, 'continuing your education'. I might have to come here again to check on y’all. But for now, I actually just needed to talk to John B. about something. So if you aren’t too sick, would you mind stepping out and giving us a minute?” She said, raising her eyebrows at JJ.

JJ stood to get up but John B. walked over and gently shoved him back down. 

“Nah, it’s okay, Sheriff Peterkin, whatever you have to say to me, you can say to JJ too.” John B. said, sitting on the edge of the pullout next to JJ. 

She shook her head slightly before pulling over a chair and sitting across from them. JJ felt John B. get tense and he realized for the first time that this wasn’t about something stupid they did at school or about the shit they had stolen from the Gilmore’s yacht. She looked at John B. for a second before she seemed to decide to rip the bandaid off.

“Your father has been declared missing, John B.”

Those six words changed everything.

  
  


________________________________________________________

After a week of John B. refusing to do anything but lay in bed, get high or get drunk, JJ realized that he was dealing with a situation that was bigger than him. Pope had been helping as much as he could, but between his AP classes, the honor society, tutoring JJ and working for his dad, he was stretched thin and it had fallen primarily on JJ to work on John B.

JJ knew he needed help and thought about who he could go to. Adults were pretty much out of the question. For one thing, he didn’t want to draw any more attention to the fact that John B. was living without a guardian. He knew Peterkin had told him that his uncle was on his way, but in case he wasn’t, it was better that John B. stayed under the radar as much as possible so no one looked too closely.

For another thing, JJ could count on less than one hand how many times he had received “help” from adults that had actually helped and not made things worse. 

JJ decided that he and Pope weren’t going to cut it and came to the reluctant conclusion that they needed Kiara. It was hard for him to admit and he was still pissed at her, but time had taken away his immediate anger and he was desperate enough to admit it to himself. 

He knew she and John B. had been hanging out again for a while and even though he wasn’t over her abandoning them, he owed it to John B. to see if she could help in a way he couldn’t.

Before she had left them, she had always been good at helping one of them when they were in their feelings. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he knew she would know what to do.

JJ and John B. had once said it was because she was a girl and girls were just good at that kind of thing. She had punched them both on their arms and called them chauvinistic pigs and made them apologize.

He left the Chateau after being yelled at by John B. for pulling up his shade and daring to talk to him and to just fuck off and let him sleep. So he rode up to the Wreck, leaving John B. in his once again dark room, sleeping the beautiful Saturday away. He tried to stay positive around John B., but he was at a breaking point himself. He had to force himself to do things other than sleep, smoke and get drunk too, if only so John B. had someone checking on him, but he was also struggling to keep it together. His life as he knew it was collapsing and he didn’t know how to begin to put it back together.

He hadn’t realized how much he leaned on John B. (and Big John too, by extension) everyday for stability that he didn’t get anywhere else. When JJ was thinking dark thoughts, John B. was always there to be an idiot and cheer him up, even if he didn’t notice he was doing it. With John B. going through it, he felt helpless and alone, which were two feelings he did everything in his power to avoid feeling. 

He had texted Pope and told him that he had a secret weapon up his sleeve and not to worry. Pope had texted back that now he was extremely worried and to please for the love of god, not do anything illegal. JJ texted back that he could make no promises, just to mess with him.

JJ parked his bike in the corner of The Wreck's parking lot and sent a text to Kie. It was weird, but since he hadn’t had a phone when they were friends, he had never actually texted her before. He had stolen her number from John B.’s phone while he was sleeping. 

After letting her know who it was, he asked if she could meet him outside to talk. He kind of wondered if she would even come outside, since he had been a dick to her the last time they had talked at the Boneyard and the time before that at the Boardwalk. And on the beach two different times now that he thought about it. He straddled his dirt bike so he could make a quick getaway, just in case he was making a mistake in coming to her. 

Kiara texted back right away that she would be out in five. He vaped while he waited for her, trying to perfect the Jellyfish trick he’d been working on for the past month. 

He had almost got it when Kie walked towards him. He tried not to notice how hot she looked, even in her t-shirt and shorts. He figured any teenager with a pulse would agree.

“JJ, what’s up? Is everything okay?” Kie asked as she walked up to him. He felt a little bad when he saw how she looked defensive and decided to go easy on her. 

“Hey Kie. Long time, no talk. You want some? It’s pineapple.” He held out his vape to her and she took it from him.

“That’s my favorite.” She told him before she inhaled. 

“I know, I remember.” He said without thinking. He watched her smoke before looking away and thinking about how to say what he wanted to say to her. 

“You heard about Big John, right?” He said at the same time that she started to say, “Listen, I need to say something to you-”.

He stopped and gestured for her to go ahead. “Ladies first.”

She furrowed her brow as what he said sunk in. “I’ll go but hang on. You need to go first. What about Big John? Did something happen? I haven’t heard anything! Is John B. okay?”

JJ almost smiled at how predictable Kie was, but couldn’t get up the energy. He couldn’t get up the energy to do anything beyond get help for John B. 

“You didn’t hear that they declared him missing?” He asked Kie. He was honestly surprised. He thought word had traveled all over the island by now and he figured Pope would have talked to her about it, but he guessed Pope was too overwhelmed with work. 

“Missing? How long has this been going on? How is John B. coping?” Kiara asked, getting her phone out to text him.

“Kie, hang on, don’t text him. That’s why I’m here. I need your help. Ever since he found out, he’s been in his sad feels and refuses to do anything. All he does is lay in bed all day or smoke. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a great way to pass the time and I don’t mind joining him most of the time, but he yells at me and Pope when we try to make him do anything else and I don’t know what else to do because he won’t listen to us. He won’t go to school or work or do anything.” JJ said. 

Kie was biting her lip and JJ could tell she was already forming a plan for what to do. JJ couldn’t help but let out a deep breath he didn’t even notice he had been holding in when he realized he wasn’t going to be dealing with this alone anymore. 

“Alright, I’ve got a plan and we’re going to fix this, no worries. And hopefully his dad turns up soon. But before I tell you about my plan, I need to say something.” Kie said to him

JJ nodded at her and took another hit from his vape. It almost felt normal, talking to her like this. He let himself focus on Kiara and not think about the past. He was feeling so low, he needed his friend back for so many reasons. 

“I want to talk about last year. Like really talk about it. And I want you to promise not to interrupt me until I’ve said what I want to say.” Kie said to him. She looked like she expected him to deny her request but he shrugged and said, “Deal.”

“Alright so last year, I’m going to school in a place where everyone already doesn’t like me because not only am I different for being half black in an almost totally white school, but they know I hang out on the Cut and they know I care about the environment more than getting a Mercedes and that I listen to Marley instead of The Chainsmokers and so much more. And I’m feeling jealous of you, Pope and John B. all together at Kildare High with all of our old friends. And I’m feeling really, really low, JJ. You know when you feel like nothing is going to get better?” 

She looked at JJ, and he couldn’t help but nod back at her. He knew that feeling better than he knew himself. Kie looked relieved when he nodded, like she was surprised he had let her get this far without saying anything. 

“Ok, so right when I’m feeling that way and I’ve given up on everything, Sarah Cameron sits next to me in Music class. And she’s cool and we get along and she likes the environment too. And we make plans to hang out and save the baby sea turtles and it feels good. And we keep hanging out. And all of the sudden, it doesn’t kill me inside to have to go to the Kook Academy everyday. And we’re hanging out all the time and before I know it, it’s been three weeks since I’ve hung out with you guys and I see you on the beach and I realize how much time has passed when you get pissed at me. And I just was so busy with Sarah and her friends that I didn’t let myself think about it and went full Kook because it was easier. And I didn’t even care because I was just thinking about myself and I wanted to stay happy. So I avoided you guys because I knew I was wrong and I didn’t want to face it.” Kie said and she looked at JJ, clearly nervous that he would get angry at her explanation. 

He stayed silent and she continued. 

“So I just pushed it all to the back of my head because it was easier to push away my guilt and have fun with the Kooks than it was to try to balance both lifestyles and apologize. And it was wrong and I’m sorry. I don’t think you can ever know how sorry I am. And I understand if you don’t think you can ever forgive me. But I just wanted to cling onto that high, that feeling I felt when I was with Sarah and was fitting in because if I lost it, I knew I would go back to that dark place. And I just didn’t want to be alone at school. But I never forgot about any of you and I’ve always been a Pogue and I’ll always be a Pogue, even if you don’t believe it. And I’ll always be here if you want to be friends again. And if you let me prove myself, I’ll never ditch you guys ever again. And that’s all I can really say.” Kie finished, looking at JJ for a reaction. 

JJ thought about everything Kie had said for a minute. He blew a smoke ring and looked at his boots. While he couldn’t relate to a lot of what Kie had said, he knew what it felt like to feel so low that you felt like nothing was going to ever get better again.

He knew what it was like to feel all alone and he knew what it was like to make a mistake and avoid it entirely instead of addressing it. 

He realized he was sick of holding onto his anger at Kie for last year. Part of him was terrified that if he let her back in and she abandoned them again, that he wouldn’t ever get over it.

But the larger part of him, the part deep down, knew that she was telling the truth and that it wouldn’t happen again. He went with that part. 

“That’s enough for me, Kie. I get it. I really do. But if you abandon us again, I will never get over it. And that’s the truth.” He said back, looking her in the eyes. 

Kie smiled. “Well, good thing I won’t.”

JJ smiled back, excited to have his best friend back.

“Good thing you won’t. And I know you’re not a Kook. And I'm sorry for being a dick. Pogues for life, baby. Now let’s go fix John B.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! It only took JJ like five chapters to get there, but the Pogues are back. And since everyone spent this chapter in bed feeling like shit, we are going to celebrate by having a crazy, wild Pogue Halloween next chapter.
> 
> Also, don't worry, the rest of the Pogues will realize JJ is not okay and needs just as much, if not more help than John B. He is just better at hiding it.
> 
> I also realized that I don't think Kie is supposed to be around when Big John goes missing, but for this story! She's back and she's not going to let this shit slide.
> 
> I love to hear what you think! :)


	3. Grand Theft Auto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JJ and Kie have a plan to cheer John B. up and it kind of works. For part of a night. Pope participates against his better judgement because he's a wonderful friend.

“Do you want to mess with Pope?” JJ yelled over the motor as he drove his dirt bike towards Heyward’s. 

“Always. What are you thinking?” Kiara yelled back. 

JJ smiled and pulled over right before they got to Heyward’s parking lot. 

“I’m gonna tell him my plan didn’t work and make him freak out and think I’m about to be arrested. And then you pop up and bam! He is so happy that we made up that he almost dies.” JJ said, using hand gestures to convey his point.

“I love it. Except the almost dying part. You wanna text him and I’ll go hide against the side of the building to sneak up?” Kie asked, walking backwards to her position.

JJ saluted her and texted Pope telling him that he needed help because his plan had failed and that the cops were after him. He gave Kie a thumbs up and they tried not to laugh as JJ counted down dramatically with his fingers to show how long it would take before Pope came running out of the store. 

It felt so good to have Kie back. It sounded corny even in his head, but he felt like a big part of him was whole again. And it didn’t hurt to finally have help with Operation Save John B.

He only had two fingers left in his countdown when Pope burst out, looking around frantically before locking eyes with JJ and running over to him, looking over his shoulder. 

JJ could see Kiara laughing silently at his run and holding her knees together by the wall. JJ could tell she was about to wet her pants, like she always threatened when she laughed too hard. He forced himself to look at Pope instead of her so he could keep a straight face, but knew he was already failing.

“JJ? What did you do? Don’t answer that. How much trouble are you in? The cops are after you? I’m scared to help. What can I do? I shouldn’t even be talking to you right now. I just got reinstated into the honor society. Can you go-” 

JJ’s laughter burst out and cut Pope off and he stopped and looked at him like he was crazy. “How is this funny to you? I need a Plan B just to deal with your Plan A. How can you laugh about this? And where is John B. Tell me you didn’t kill John B. or get him arrested.”

“Relax, Pope. We were just messing with you. My plan worked and nothing illegal happened. Yet.” He said as he put his hand on Pope’s shoulder so he would chill out. 

Pope pushed his hand off and crossed his arms. “Are you for real? So nothing is wrong? Why would you do that to my heart?”

“Nothing is wrong. And because it’s funny.” JJ said, still laughing at Pope’s reaction and at Kie in the background. She was starting to sneak up behind Pope. 

“I’m glad you think it’s funny to stress me out.” Pope said, rolling his eyes. A suspicious look took over his face. “Wait a minute. We? Where’s John B.?”

JJ smiled at him and Kie popped up behind him and grabbed his shoulders, making him yell.

“We, as in me and Kie. We have a plan. We made up by the way.” He said, laughing again when Pope’s eyes bugged out. He was so easy to rile up. 

Kie put her arm around JJ’s shoulders and he put his around hers. “Yep. It’s all good, Pope. And I’m here to help you two idiots make a plan to help John B. Thanks for telling me what was up, by the way. I must have been the only one on the island who hadn’t heard about Big John.”

Pope shook himself slightly before breaking out into a huge grin. “I can’t believe that was your secret weapon! This is amazing! So we are finally back in business? Pogues for life?”

“Pogues for life, baby.” JJ confirmed and Kie smiled at him. JJ couldn’t stop smiling. This was the best he had felt in the past two months without requiring drugs or alcohol. He wished he could always feel this way.

Pope got emotional and tried to cover it up by bringing them in for a group hug. JJ enjoyed it for a minute and pretended he wasn’t also emotional before pushing them both off and turning to Kie. 

“What’s the plan, Kie?”

“Well, I need to assess the situation. On a scale of one to ten, how sad is he?”

JJ and Pope looked at each other and both opened their mouths but didn’t say anything. Pope finally said, “Negative ten.”

Kie nodded like she expected that. “And do they think Big John is going to be found or is he presumed to be dead?” 

JJ felt his stomach sink when she said that. He hadn’t really thought too much about the possibility of Big John not being alive. John B. was so sure that they were going to find him any day, hour, or second that JJ had been agreeing with him the whole time without really thinking about the reality of the situation. 

He had been so busy trying to help John B. feel better that he hadn’t thought about how low the chances were of Big John being alive after so long, lost at sea. He felt sick.

“Um, I’m pretty sure most people don’t survive being declared missing at sea. I mean, they don’t just say that unless they have proof that something major happened.” Pope said, looking at Kiara and JJ. 

“Yeah, I mean the chances are really low.” Kiara said. 

“I don’t know, he could have swam to an island or something. Or been picked up by someone and just can’t get to a phone yet to call.” JJ said, repeating what John B. had been saying for the past week. 

Pope and Kie looked at each other quickly. “I mean, it’s possible…but they usually just declare someone missing until they can recover a body.” Kie said, giving JJ a pity smile.

“What?” JJ said. 

“Nothing. It’s totally possible.” Pope said back, still looking at Kie before looking at JJ and smiling too. 

“I’m sorry? A body? This is Big John, not just ‘a body’. And you guys think he’s dead.” JJ said, raising his eyebrows at them and crossing his arms. 

“I mean, I said it’s possible he’s okay and I mean it. But it’s more possible that he is dead and we need to prepare John B. for all outcomes.” Pope said. “And prepare ourselves.” He added when he noticed that JJ wasn’t taking it well. 

JJ let out a deep breath and took his hat off before flipping it into the air and putting it back on.

He was silent for a minute before saying, “No, I know you guys are right. It’s just...hard to think about Big John actually being dead. I mean, the dude has been in the background of like our entire lives. He always goes away for long periods of time. Why would he suddenly not be able to steer his boat and get lost or drown or whatever?”

“Mistakes happen all the time, JJ. I hope he’s ok too. And it’s ok to feel sad. I know you spent a lot of time with him growing up.” Kie said. 

JJ thought about that. It was true that Big John had been around a lot as JJ and John B. had grown up together. And he had helped him out of more than a few crazy situations. But it was more the feeling that he was there just in case. As backup. Not that JJ ever went to adults. But he was there if John B. needed him and he technically was there if JJ needed him. And now they had basically nobody. 

JJ put on a fake smile and shrugged before lying. “Not really. Didn’t really know the dude too much. I’m more worried about John B., so let’s talk about the plan.”

Kie and Pope glanced at each other and JJ rolled his eyes. “Seriously? Don’t look at each other. I mean it. I didn’t really know him and John B. needs us. Are you guys helping me with him or not?

“Ok, ok. Sorry. It’s just that you’re really good at hiding how you feel and you did know him well, even though you won’t admit it. But we’ll come back to you, don’t worry. You’re right, let’s focus on our original concern first.” Kie said.

“Oh, so I’m not original? ” JJ said,raising his eyebrows at Kie. 

“You’re very original and we love you for that. But John B.’s dad is missing and he won't accept it so we need to focus on that first.” Pope said, patting JJ on his shoulder. 

“No, you’re right. Ok, let’s think. WKWD?” JJ said to them.

They both looked confused and Kie mouthed the letters, trying to figure out what they stood for. 

“What kind-? I give up, what does it stand for?” She said.

“What Would Kie Do. Duh. I guess we shouldn’t use synonyms.” JJ said back.

“You mean WWKD, JJ. You mixed up the K and the W. And that’s an acronym.” Pope said.

“Dyslexia.” JJ shrugged. “You get the point. Tell us your plan, Kie.”

Kie laughed at them both. “I missed you guys so much, you have no idea.”

“We missed you too, Kie. Now spill.” JJ said, sitting down on his bike and pulling out his vape. He offered it to Pope as a joke and Pope pushed him, looking over his shoulder to see if his dad had noticed his absence yet. 

“Ok, so this is just a start, but you do realize what’s coming up next weekend that is John B.’s absolute favorite thing in the whole world?” Kie asked. 

JJ lit up when he realized where she was going with this. “Hell yeah, Kie! I almost forgot. I could kiss you right now.” 

“No Pogue on Pogue macking, JJ. Respect the rules.” She said. 

“Worth a shot.” JJ shrugged. “But seriously, Kie, Halloween should pull him right out of his sad feels. Especially if we let him paint us and do one of his weird costume ideas. And if we fuck up some Kooks and their mansions. Pope can you steal a shit ton of eggs and toilet paper from your dad’s store?”

“Oh my god. I’m living the nightmare. Again.” Pope said, ghosts of Halloweens past floating behind his eyes. “Can I please not get arrested? It’s all I ask.”

“It’s for John B., Pope. You can go one night with a little paint on your face and teepeeing some houses. Don’t pretend you don’t have fun every year. And no one is being arrested.” Kie said, rolling her eyes. 

“A little paint?! Last year, he literally painted my entire upper half green!” Pope said indignantly.

“Kinky.” 

“Shut up JJ. Just because you had fun doesn’t mean the rest of us did.” Pope said.

“Dude, we’re doing it for John B. No one’s asking you to permanently change yourself.”

“Fine. But just for John B. And you have to promise we won’t do anything illegal.” Pope said.

“Only if you promise to loosen up and have fun. Halloween is a national holiday, dude.” JJ said back. Kie just gave Pope a look like he needed to chill.

“Deal. And it’s not a national holiday.”

“It sure as fuck should be.” JJ said.

__________________________________________________

“No.”

“Excuse me?” JJ asked, looking all offended.

“I said no. N-O. I’m really happy that we are the Pogues again. But I’m not going because I’m not going to go run all around the island fucking with Kooks when my dad needs me. What if he calls while we’re out? I can’t take the risk.” John B. said, crossing his arms.

Pope, JJ and Kie looked at each other. JJ gestured for Kiara to respond and she glared at him. She had gone into John B.’s room when they had gotten to the Chateau and had emerged with an upright John B. twenty minutes later. He almost looked normal and had actually put on one of his patterned shirts. Apparently, she hadn’t performed a complete miracle.

“That’s a really good point. Maybe we could get all dressed up here and you could paint our faces like you like to do?” Kie suggested. 

“What are we, five?” Pope mumbled and JJ elbowed him and Pope almost doubled over. John B. loved to do costume paint on Halloween. 

“That sounds cool. But you know what would be cooler?” JJ asked them. John B. was already collapsing onto the sofa and closing his eyes and he knew he needed to act fast. 

Kie and Pope gestured at him to hurry up and suggest something cool.

“What if we do that on Halloween but we go out and fuck shit up for Mischief Night? Nothing takes your mind off of something like teepeeing Kook mansions and causing total destruction and devastation. Harmless destruction and devastation, Pope.” JJ said, before Pope could object. 

“I’m down. John B.? You love Mischief Night.” Kie said, sitting down next to him and shaking him so he opened his eyes again.

“I can’t leave. My dad’s gonna call and I can’t miss it.” John B. repeated, looking at them like they were stupid. They kind of were, to be fair.

“You know what’s awesome? You can bring your cell phone anywhere. So if he calls, boom! It’s right there in your pocket and you can just stop throwing eggs at Kooks or whatever and answer.” JJ suggested. 

“I don’t know..” John B. said, flipping his phone around in his hands. JJ could tell he was getting close to cracking him though. John B. was _obsessed_ with Halloween.

“Come on, John B. You know your dad is totally fine and he’ll call you soon. But he would definitely want you to go out and have fun while you wait. He loves Halloween.” JJ said. It didn’t slip his notice that Kie and Pope looked at each other when he said that. He didn’t care. So what if he had hope that Big John was okay too?

“John B.? Are you in? We haven’t missed a year. Even last year we did it. We need to celebrate being back together. Pogue style.” Kie asked when he didn’t answer right away. She looked over at JJ, knowing that the reminder of the past year might upset him, but he winked at her.

“Fine. But I’m bringing my phone and I don’t want to go anywhere weird that has no service. And I want to fuck with the Kooks.” He said.

“Deal.” said JJ and Kie together. 

Pope forced a smile when JJ kicked him. John B. looked at him.

“Deal.” said Pope as his voice cracked in fear.

_____________________________________________________

“I straight up just saw a witch fly over that tree.” JJ said as they crouched behind the Gilmore’s house on Figure Eight. 

“You did not see a witch. You smoked too much.” Pope said. 

“Or maybe you didn’t smoke enough.” JJ said back. 

“I didn’t smoke at all. Shut up and just watch for the signal.” Pope said, peeking around the side of the house for John B. and Kie to give them the go ahead. 

“I am. But I saw a witch, dude. Don’t blame me when it flies down and haunts you.” JJ said as he peered around at the front porch with Pope. “Who do you think we’re gonna catch in our web? Mr. Douchebag or Mrs. Douchebag?” 

“I hope Mr. Douchebag because last week he complained to my dad that his sodas weren’t cold when I delivered them. As if I have a refrigerator just built into the boat.” Pope said.

JJ shushed Pope suddenly and pulled him closer to the house. The plan was for Kie and John B. to make the “web” with black string across the bottom part of the front door to the house and then when they were finished, they would ring the doorbell and run. Then, the Gilmores would come out, trip, and it was up to Pope and JJ to lobe eggs at the victim. Childish, but one of JJ and John B.’s favorites. They’d been doing it since Mischief Night in the fourth grade.

“Put your mask on, dude.” JJ said to Pope as he pulled his on and grabbed the eggs. 

John B. had made them all wear black and had given them each masks he had in a box in his closet. Kie had immediately taken the ski mask, John B. and JJ had Scream masks and Pope had been stuck with a clown. 

Pope groaned and JJ laughed when he pulled his on. John B. finished tying the web and Kie gave them a thumbs up. John B. rang the doorbell and ran with Kie to the road to hide and wait. 

“Why am I friends with you guys?” Pope asked as JJ shoved eggs into his hands. JJ and John B. had stolen a bunch of eggs from the local store on the way here. Well, John B. had bought a carton while JJ snuck out behind him with two more in his bag. 

“Because without us all you would have are your books and your calculator. And your fetish for dead bodies. Consider yourself lucky, bro.” JJ said. His voice was muffled through his mask.

“I don’t have a fetish for dead bodies, JJ.”

“Whatever you say, dude. Ok it’s go time. Bombs away!” JJ whispered as Mr. Gilmore came to the door. He immediately looked around for who had rang the doorbell and took a step outside, tripping on the web and almost falling over before catching himself with his hands.

While he was down, JJ and Pope chucked eggs at him. Pope’s egg didn’t even reach the porch and they heard John B. and Kie laughing at them. JJ’s egg hit Mr. Gilmore on the head and cracked and he silently cheered.

Mr. Gilmore grabbed the egg off of his head and threw it to the ground. He looked around and yelled out about the cops and delinquents from the Cut. JJ threw another egg and it hit him in the chest. 

“Alright, alright, that’s enough. You’re done. JJ. He’s gonna see us. Let’s go!” Pope said, dragging JJ away as he continued throwing them.

They ran over to John B. and Kie and the four of them ran down the street and jumped into some bushes to hide when they saw a car coming down the street. 

“That was some rookie shit. I only threw like five eggs! Let’s go fuck up Topper’s house. We can fuck up the outside. It’s right down the street, right?” JJ said as they hunched together in the bushes. 

“I’m down.” John B. said immediately. JJ smiled at him proudly. He was happy to have the old John B. back, even just temporarily.

“Kie?” JJ asked when she didn’t immediately respond. 

“Don't ‘Kie’ me. Of course I’m down. Fuck Topper. I’m just fixing my shoe.” Kie answered as she took off her shoe before shaking a rock out of it. 

JJ held up his hands in the surrender. “Alright, let’s do it.” He said, walking back towards the woods along the road.

“Don’t I get a say? This sounds illegal.” Pope complained as he followed them. 

“No.” They all answered back. 

“Because we already know what you would say and we already cheetoed you.” JJ said. 

“It’s vetoed, JJ. But yeah we vetoed you before you even spoke.” John B. said, patting Pope on the shoulder. 

Kie put her arm around Pope’s and walked with him. “I’m glad you haven’t changed. But yeah, we will always veto you when it comes to Mischief Night.”

They ran across the street and crouched down by the Thornton’s huge metal gates. 

“Alright. What’s the plan for Topper? I would not say no to a straight up old fashioned beat down if he’s outside since we have masks.” John B. suggested.

“What is this? This isn’t The Purge, John B. We can’t just assault Kooks because we have masks. Throwing eggs at people instead of their houses is bad enough. I’m pretty sure it’s assault, actually. Don’t we have morals?” Pope asked, looking at Kie for support. JJ rested his elbow on John B.’s shoulder. 

“I wouldn’t say no to a beat down either. But let’s get more creative.” He said. 

Pope stared at him nervously. 

“Let’s steal his car and drive to Yucatan.” JJ said.

Pope had a silent meltdown and Kie rolled her eyes. 

“Calm down, Pope. JJ, we promised Pope we wouldn’t do anything worthy of arrest. So no grand theft auto.” Kie said.

“Alright, then what do you suggest, Kie?” John B. asked. 

“Let’s go over the gate and see if they’re even home. Then decide.”

“Works for me.” JJ said as he and John B. started to climb. Kie followed them and they decided Pope could stay on lookout since he was freaking out. 

“I will not hesitate to abandon all of you if shit goes down. This is already illegal.” Pope warned.

The three of them hoped down into Topper’s yard and turned back to him. “Just call us if anyone comes.” JJ said. 

Kie and John B. crept over to the side of Topper’s house. JJ couldn’t resist walking over to the Mercedes in the driveway. He pulled the door open and climbed in before Kie or John B. could stop him. 

“JJ!” Kie whispered across the driveway at him. John B. followed him over and got into the passenger side.

“Couldn’t resist. I’m dying to hotbox in a Mercedes. You wanna?” JJ asked John B. 

“Hell yeah. I can’t believe they left this shit unlocked. Look at the screen!” John B. said as he ran his hand over the fancy dashboard. Kie hopped into the backseat. 

“If you guys get too high, we won’t be able to do anything to Topper’s house.” Kie warned.

“We can smash eggs in the car. Might be an omelette by the time he wakes up though. This shit is so fancy it would probably just cook it and put it on a gold plate.” JJ said, pulling out a pre-rolled blunt. 

“Alright, kind of a weak plan, but we haven’t hotboxed together in a long time. Maybe after we can teepee the trees? That’s always beautiful to see the next day.” Kie suggested.

“Hell yeah, Kie. Light it up, JJ.” John B. said, reclining his seat. 

They passed the blunt around and they all got high pretty fast. JJ was having the time of his life. His friends, weed and fucking up Topper’s fancy Mercedes? The only thing that would make it complete would be if Pope had joined in.

Thinking about Pope made him realize his phone had buzzed a minute ago. Kie coughed in the backseat and passed John B. the blunt as JJ slowly dug his phone out of his pocket and called Pope back. 

“Shit. Pope?” JJ said as he heard him pick up the phone.

“Hey, JJ. Pope’s a little busy right now, but we’d love to talk.”

JJ’s brain struggled to catch up with why Rafe’s voice was coming from his phone. He hung up and stared at John B. with his mouth open, trying to describe what had happened.

“What’d he say?” John B. asked from the passenger seat. His eyes were closed and Kie leaned forward and took the blunt from him again.

“It was weird. It wasn’t Pope, it was Rafe.” JJ said, shrugging and laying back in his seat. He opened his eyes when he saw headlights coming up the driveway and a car pulling in next to them.

“Why would Rafe have Pope’s phone?” Kie asked. 

They all jumped when a fist banged on the passenger window. Rafe and Topper were standing there, holding onto Pope. They couldn’t see clearly through the smoke, so John B. stupidly opened his door and slammed into Rafe and Topper. It knocked them over enough that Pope got loose and jumped inside the car with them. He climbed into the backseat.

JJ thought as fast as he could while high (which was actually pretty fast if he did say so himself) and experimentally pushed the power button on the car. It turned on and he locked the doors. Of course the idiot had his keys in his pocket and was stupid enough to get close to them. He put the car in reverse as Rafe stood upright again and reached for the handle.

He stopped when Rafe fell over again. He put it in drive and jerked forward, almost hitting them. Topper and Rafe jumped back. He rolled down the window so they could talk shit.

“Did you need a ride, assholes?” John B. yelled out. 

Topper and Rafe walked towards them and JJ backed up a few feet before going forwards towards them and slamming the brakes on again. Topper and Rafe stopped a few feet away, clearly afraid of getting run over. 

“Imagine our surprise at getting here and catching some dirty Pogues where they don’t belong. JJ? I know you’re dumb as shit but I thought the rest of you knew how the social ladder worked. No one invited you inside these gates. I know none of you have ever been in a real car before but you can’t touch what isn’t yours.” Rafe called out to them.

“Had to hotbox in your car, Topper. Hope you don’t mind.” John B. said, ignoring Rafe.

“Fuck you, John B. Get out of my fucking car before we call the police.” Topper said back. 

“So this is your house, Topper? We didn’t even know. It suits you, man. It looks expensive, but I can tell it’s boring and empty inside.” JJ said. 

“Yeah? So I’m guessing that means your house is a piece of trash and full of shit? Like you?” Topper said back. 

“Woah. I didn’t know you could think on your own. No need to cut so deep, man. I was just trying to appreciate your house. Hey, why don’t you come closer and we can talk this out?” JJ said, revving up the engine and turning the wheel in their direction. 

“JJ, what the fuck. We need to get out of the car and make a run for it.” Kie said, pulling on his shoulder from the backseat.

“Holy shit! Is Kiara in there? Kiara, you there? That’s pretty pathetic. So my sister rejects you and you're already crawling around with the trash again?” Rafe called to her, craning his head to get a look at her. 

“Say another word and I will not hesitate to run your asses over. Kie’s right where she belongs, she’s a Pogue.” JJ said, revving up again.

Rafe laughed and said, "You're so fucking stupid, it should be illegal. You do realize you just agreed that you and Kiara are trash?"

“JJ! Turn the car off and let’s run!” Pope said from the backseat. “This is already way past illegal.”

“You're acting like a big man for someone who’s stealing a car. But I guess that’s the only way you get things JJ. Stealing them. Your dad sure as hell isn’t giving you anything. He couldn’t even afford a condom.” 

JJ reached in his pocket and felt an egg, still intact. He passed it to John B., who threw it directly at Rafe’s head. It went across the driveway and hit him right in the forehead and cracked, yolk dripping down his face and onto his polo shirt. 

Rafe stopped talking immediately.

“Get your phone, Top.” He said, wiping the egg off and staring down JJ. 

“We’re shaking over here, man. Is that all you Kooks can do? Call the police?” JJ said. 

“I’-” Topper was cut off when Pope surprised everyone and threw an egg at his face from the backseat. It hit the target and John B. laughed.

Rafe reached over Topper and pushed the button to close the recently opened gate, trying to trap them in. 

As it slowly closed, he said “We’ll see if you are so talkative once these are closed.”

JJ floored it into reverse and flew out of the driveway. He put it into drive and they sped down the street. 

“JJ, stop! This is literally grand theft auto! Stop the car!” Pope yelled from the backseat. JJ slammed the brakes on and put it into park before they all four got out of the car and ran for the woods. 

They could hear Rafe and Topper yelling down the street after them, talking shit about how they were going to be arrested and how this wasn’t over. JJ rolled his eyes as he came to a stop.

“That was more like it! Pogue Life, baby!” JJ said as he patted John B. on the back. John B. was laughing and coughing from the run and Kie was smiling at them both. 

“That was literally the worst case scenario. You just stole a car. Not just any car! Topper’s car and drove it while high. We’re all going to be arrested!” Pope said, freaking out. Kie looked nervous too but John B. shrugged and scowled, his smile gone. 

“Who cares, Pope? He barely left their property with it. You make everything into such a big deal. Live a little.” He said, walking away. 

The three of them looked at each other before following John B. Kie slapped Pope on the arm when he looked at them.

“John B.? Dude, you ok?” JJ asked, walking over to him. He heard Kie and Pope following him. 

John B. didn’t answer right away but they heard him sniff. 

“What’s up?” JJ asked again. 

“I’m just tired, man. I wanna go home.” John B. said. 

Kie and JJ looked at each other before Kie said, “Alright, let’s go. We are invited too, right?” She said, putting an arm around John B.

John B. started to cry. JJ didn’t know whether to pretend he didn’t notice and let Kie handle it or to go over to them. He decided to go over to his best friend and heard Pope walking over too. 

“You smoke too much? I didn’t think I gave us the twisted shit.” He asked John B.

“No. It’s just exhausting. Wondering where my dad is all day and all night. I can’t sleep, I don’t want to eat. All I can do is wait for the call. Any call.” He said, wiping his face. Kiara grabbed him and hugged him.

“I know, John B. But we’re here for you. We’re not going to let you go through this alone.” She said. 

JJ saw John B. squeeze her back and he walked over and joined the hug. He felt Pope join a second later. 

They all hugged for a minute before pulling away and JJ grabbed John B.’s shoulders.

“You’re not alone, John B. And we’re going to find out what happened to your dad. Even if Peterkin gives up, we won’t until we do.” JJ promised. 

John B. looked at them all and wiped his face again. “Thanks guys. For everything. I really needed this tonight.”

“Pogues for life. We’ve got you, John B.” Kie said.

“I totally agree, and I’m glad it helped, John B. But we better get a move on unless you all want to get arrested for life.” Pope said as he pushed them forward. 

“I wouldn’t mind getting arrested for life if it was with you guys.” JJ said, shrugging and stumbling over a branch.

“Aww” John B. said, grabbing him and kissing him on the cheek. 

JJ grabbed the last egg from his pocket and threw it toward John B. 

It missed by five feet and cracked right in front of where Pope was walking. Pope slipped and grabbed Kie, pulling her down with him.

“Why. Why am I friends with you guys?” He groaned from the ground.

“Because you love us.” John B. said back, chucking an egg at him.

“Oh my god, you know what? It’s on. Y’all didn’t know I had a whole carton I stole from my dad in my bag.” Pope said, reaching for his eggs.

“Pope, I am so proud of you right now. You’re stealing now too!” JJ said, walking over to grab an egg from him.

Pope stopped him by egging him in his face.

__________________________________

JJ woke up Halloween morning on John B.’s pullout to the single most devastating text he had ever received. Apparently, his “little brother” had been born overnight.

He immediately regretted asking Mimi a month ago to let him know when the baby was born. 

He ignored the text that followed asking if he wanted to see a picture. He thought his heart would actually break in two if he had to see that. 

He sat up and threw his stuff in his backpack before getting dressed. He snuck into John B.’s room to get the watch they had stolen from the yacht a few weeks ago. It was too much and he couldn’t think.

All he could think about was trying to escape his own feelings. He just needed a break. He decided to pawn the watch off and leave the Cut for a few days until he felt better.

“What are you doing?” John B. asked from his bed.

“Don’t worry about it, John B. Just go back to sleep, man.” JJ said as he shoved the watch into his backpack.

“Where are you taking the watch?” John B. asked him.

“I’m going to pawn this shit off.” JJ said, putting his backpack on and heading for the door.

“And do what with the money?” John B. asked. JJ sighed and turned around. He felt bad leaving John B. for a few days but he knew Kie and Pope could handle it. 

“I just need to go somewhere else. I can’t stay here right now, man. It’s too much.” JJ said. He felt bad even admitting it when John B. was going through so much.

“Wait for me.” 

“What?” JJ asked, eyebrows shooting up as John B. got out of bed and started getting dressed.

“I can’t take it anymore either. If you’re leaving the Cut, I’m coming. Fuck this place.”

“What about your dad?” He asked John B.

“I have my cell phone. Fuck waiting around here and fuck school. I’m down for a JJ and John B. adventure.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm assuming that John B. started off sad and then eventually was able to mask it slightly with his denial and JJ agreed with him until a certain point. At least that's what's going to happen here!
> 
> Next up...John B. and JJ go on an adventure away from the Cut. Hopefully it cheers them up, but you never know.


	4. Pyzel Phantom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John B. and JJ go on an adventure (kind of) and Kie finds out something that JJ has been hiding.

Big John had this old VW van that had been in John B.’s yard for as long as JJ could remember. He didn’t drive it, as far as JJ could tell and he seemed to use it more as a storage space for his overflowing boxes of research papers than as a car. 

When John B. was fourteen, Big John “gave” him the car, claiming that it would take a good two years of work, but it was all his if he wanted to drive it when he turned sixteen. He and JJ had been working on the car on and off ever since and had finally gotten it into working condition over the summer. John B. wouldn’t be sixteen for another two months, but he had his learner’s permit and JJ decided that was official enough for their trip. 

JJ didn’t give a shit about licenses and registration and all of that. Nobody got stopped on the Cut for that. He figured he got his attitude from his dad, whose license and registration would have probably both expired before he was born, if he hadn’t had to drive off the Cut for his shifty business deals. The closest DMV was an hour away on the mainland and as far as JJ knew, nobody really took the time to enforce these things unless they saw some really crazy shit go down. It was probably different off the island, but he didn’t really care.

“Do you think I’m gonna be stopped?” John B. asked JJ as they threw their stuff in the back of the van. 

“Nah. We just need to drive within the speed limit and shit. Cops have better things to do. Like eating donuts and shit. They aren’t going to stop us. And if they do, we’ll say I’m twenty-one and I’m supervising you.”

“In your dreams could you pass as twenty-one.” John B. said, going over to strap their boards to the roof.

“I can, bro. I have to shave every morning. If I don’t, I have a five o’clock shadow by sunset.” JJ said, stroking his imaginary stubble.

“You don’t even have peach fuzz, JJ.” John B. said.

“Look right here. Look! Right above my lip.” JJ got in John B.’s face and tipped his head back to show it off, pointing to the spot. 

“Kiara literally has more of a moustache than you. And she doesn’t have one.” John B. said, laughing at JJ.

“I’m telling.” JJ said, pulling out his phone to text Kie. 

“Oh my god, fine! I saw a couple of baby hairs when the sun hit the right spot.” John B. said as he checked to make sure the wet suits were in the back of the car. 

“A couple? This is me when I just shaved, keep that in mind, bro. You wish you had my problem.” JJ said, throwing himself into the passenger seat. 

John B. rolled his eyes and slammed the back doors closed before getting into the front seat and turning the car on. 

“Alright. What’s the plan, Captain?” John B. said as he drove down the driveway.

JJ pulled out the watch and held it up so the sunlight hit it. “We need to pawn this shit off first. But not on the Cut. My dad goes to this guy on the mainland. It’s right over the bridge.” He put his feet up on the dashboard and pushed his seat back.

“How much do you think we’ll get?” John B. asked. 

“ I don’t know. Hopefully at least sixty percent of what it’s worth. My dad usually gets eighty percent from this guy. But it will be different for us.” 

“What? Why?” John B. asked, turning onto the road towards the bridge.

“Um, because we are fifteen year olds with a clearly stolen watch and not my scary ass dad?” JJ said to John B., looking at him like he was stupid.

“But that shouldn’t matter. They should give everyone the price of the item no matter what.” John B. said.

“Well, that’s not how it works, dude. They want to make money and they know who they can rip off.”

“We’ll see.” John B. said and JJ looked at him, not liking his tone. The guys who ran pawn shops did not fuck around.

“We will see. As in they will tell us the price and we will happily accept it and go on our fucking adventure. That’s it. We can’t mess with these guys, trust me John B. I know what I’m talking about.” JJ said, still staring at John B. to get through to him. 

“Do you know how to get to this magical pawn shop?” John B. asked.

“Duh. Take the first exit after the bridge.” 

_____________________________________________

“I’ll give you $1000.” 

“No deal. It’s worth at least 3K. We’ll just go somewhere else. You can’t just cheat us because of our age.”

The pawn shop guy raised one eyebrow at John B. and looked him up and down. JJ grabbed him and pushed him behind him. So much for laying low.

“What he means is we can do $1800. We need the money to get to California to see our dying Grandma. She’s all we have left and she sent us our Grandpa’s watch so we could pawn it off to get to her. Come on, man. She’s old and we don’t know how much time she has left.” JJ said. He knew it was way lower than they should get, but also way higher than they would get. He thought about forcing some tears out to see if it would help, but he didn’t know if the vibe was right.

“Why do you look familiar?” The man asked JJ, looking at him closely instead of John B.

“I don’t know. I’m pretty basic looking.” JJ lied at the same time as John B. started to say “His dad-” JJ elbowed John B. to shut him up. He didn’t want this man talking to his dad and telling him about this. Not to mention it fucked with his cover story.

“That’s right. You’re Luke’s kid, right?” The man snapped his fingers and pointed at JJ. JJ shrugged, not sure if that was a good thing yet.

“Why didn’t you say so? I’ll give you $1850 for it. Your dad gives me good business.” He said, taking the watch and getting the cash out. 

JJ smiled at the man and took the cash. “I’ll be sure to tell him to keep bringing his business here, sir. Thanks for helping me and my cousin out. It’s hard trying to make it to our grandma.”

The man looked confused. “Why isn’t Luke going with you?”

JJ rushed to explain his story. “It’s my grandma on my mom’s side so he’s staying here.”

“Alright. Well have a safe drive. It’s not safe for kids to be driving across the whole country by themselves. You’re going to get into some shit, for sure. Barely look old enough to drive. Well, I guess your cousin does.” The man said. 

John B. gave JJ a smirk at being told he looks older than him. JJ stepped on his foot.

“Thanks again, sir!” He said as he pulled John B. out of the store.

“Shut up, John B. It’s just because he’s seen me when I was younger.”

John B. grabbed the cash from JJ. “Uh, huh. Keep telling yourself that. You’re lucky you have your older cousin here to drive you across the country.”

JJ rolled his eyes and got in the car and put his feet up. John B. was definitely feeling better if he was able to be annoying again.

“Alright, this is more money than we’ve ever had. We could buy all new boards with this! And wetsuits. And throw some amazing keggers. After our trip.” John B. said as he slapped JJ in the face playfully with the money. 

“You know what I wanna do first, bro?” JJ asked, grabbing the money back.

“Let me guess...buy some fancy weed and get high?” John B. asked, rolling his eyes. He was smiling.

“Nah. Well yeah, but not yet. You saw that McDonald’s back there? I want to go and buy one of everything on the menu, man. I’ve always wanted to do that. It’s been on my bucket list since I was like, eight.” JJ said.

“Not gonna say no to that. I’m fucking starving.” John B. said as he backed out and started to drive towards McDonald's.

“So where should we go after? Where do you want to stay?” John B. asked, propping his cell phone up in the cup holder so he would be able to see it if it rang.

JJ’s phone buzzed before he could answer and he pulled it out. His stomach sunk when he slowly read it. His dad was pissed and was telling him to come home right now to help him with a project. He had never wanted to do something less. 

“Earth to JJ? Hello? Where should we go tonight?” John B. said.

“Huh?” JJ asked, finger hovering over the keys. He could just not answer. Run away for real with John B. Go to California like he had said.

“Where do you wanna go?” John B. asked again.

“California.” JJ answered, looking at John B. hopefully.

“Haha. Seriously, where do you wanna go?” John B. said.

“No, seriously, dude. There is literally nothing on the Cut for us. Except Pope and Kie and they will be there when we get back. Let’s just go. The surfing will be sick. When are we ever gonna have the money again?” JJ said, sitting up and looking at John B. so he knew he was serious.

John B. exhaled loudly and ran his hand through his hair. JJ almost texted his dad back right then because he could tell John B. wasn’t going to go for it. But he felt pissed too. He was tired of always getting told his ideas were too crazy, too wild. He just wanted John B. to be his best friend for once and follow through without having to be convinced first.

“JJ-” John B. started but JJ cut him off.

“What? What is it, John B.? Let me guess? We can’t just leave the Cut, we have to go back for school, we have jobs, blah blah blah. I don’t fucking care, man! When will you realize that? I’ve got nothing except for you guys. It’s all I’ve ever had, really. Just be my best friend like I’ve been yours and let’s go!” JJ knew he was yelling but he couldn’t stop himself.

John B. raised his hands up like he didn’t know what to say and JJ felt frustrated tears coming up. He knew he shouldn’t be taking out his anger on John B. but he couldn’t control himself. John B. had never known what it was like to have truly nothing and now that he did, JJ couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t go along with his plan.

JJ texted back “Ok” to his dad and threw his phone in the backseat, before throwing himself back there too. 

“Seriously? You’re going to ride in the back like I’m your chauffeur?” John B. said after a minute. 

“I’ve got to get back anyways. My dad just texted and he says I have work. So I hope you’re happy the trip is cancelled. And I need to get high because I can’t be around that dude sober.” JJ said, ripping open his backpack and pulling out his weed.

“I’m sorry, what? I said California was a little far. No one said the trip was cancelled. We can go literally almost anywhere else. Now you’re bailing on me to go to some shift, making minimum wage with your asshole dad? Who's not being a best friend now?” John B. said, turning to look at JJ. 

JJ scooted to the seat behind John B.’s to make it harder for him to see. “You can go on a trip without me. Or we can go next weekend with Kie and Pope. I have work today. Look at the road, dude. Not at me.” He said as he pulled out his rolling papers and got to work. 

“No.” John B. said.

“No, what? Take me home, John B. Don’t even play around. My dad will flip out if I don’t go.”

“What’s new? He always flips out. I’m not taking you home so he can use you as a punching bag. Let’s go somewhere.” John B. said, turning into McDonald’s. 

“John B. I love you. But if you don’t take me back right now, you’re not gonna have a best friend anymore. Because my dad will kill me. Take me back. Seriously.” JJ said, craning his head back to stare at John B.

“I don’t want to go back right now, JJ! Let’s just go. Come on, man. You can’t just wake me up at the crack of dawn and get me excited about a road trip and then cancel before we even went anywhere!” John B. said. He parked in a parking spot and climbed into the back with JJ.

JJ hesitated because John B. looked like he was gonna cry. He felt guilty but he was also dreaded what would happen if he didn’t go home in the next few hours. 

“I don’t know…” JJ said. His stomach was twisting at the thought of not showing up when his dad told him too, but a bigger part of him wanted to get away so badly it felt like he was going to crawl out of skin if he had to go back right now.

“I’m tired of your fucking dad. And I know you are too. At least go to the boardwalk with me. Or we can go to some random beach. We can finally buy new boards! We can enter into a surf competition. A real one. Come on, JJ. I’m begging you.” John B. said. He leaned forward and looked into JJ’s eyes.

“Alright, alright. But we’ve got to go back tomorrow, man. I’m serious.”

John B. saluted him. “Captain Serious, reporting for duty.”

____________________________________________________________

They spent the rest of the day in some tiny town by a beach two hours south of the Banks. They had meant to go farther, but JJ had seen the word “pool” on a motel sign and that had been it. Only Kooks had pools, so they had to take advantage of them whenever they could. They stayed the night at the beachfront motel.

They broke into the pool late at night. They made friends with some other teens who were surfing their way up the coast from Florida and challenged them to a nighttime surfing competition. JJ bet one hundred dollars that he would be the first to do a layback and the teens happily accepted, thinking they would get easy money.

JJ outsurfed everyone and then got high on the beach with John B. after they handed over the money. They told him they hoped to see him in some real surfing competitions and he told them they would. 

The next morning, they slept in until housekeeping started knocking on the door, telling them they had to checkout. JJ shoved his shit into his backpack while John B. tried to negotiate a longer trip.

“Come on, JJ. Let’s just stay another night. Since when do you need to be convinced? Roles reversed much?” John B. said as he leaned against the door to their motel room. 

“John B. I am literally going to be killed if I don’t go home. I know you don’t understand what it’s like because your dad was perfect, but we don’t all have that.” JJ said, counting the money they had left and putting it in his backpack. The excitement from yesterday was gone and he could admit that he was more than a little scared to go home after bailing on his dad. 

“Was?”

JJ froze. He hadn’t realized he had spoken in the past tense and cursed himself. It had been an honest mistake. Ever since Kie and Pope had talked about Big John’s disappearance, he hadn’t been able to get the idea that he was dead out of his head.

“I meant ‘is’. Your dad _is_ perfect. I’m just tired.” He said, as he slung his backpack onto his shoulder and turned to face John B. 

John B. was pissed.

“You know, I expected for Pope and Kie to give up hope and think that my dad is dead. But you? After everything we’ve been through together? After everything my dad did for us? How can you just give up like that?” John B. was blinking a lot and JJ went over to him.

“I don’t! I agree with you! He’s alive. It was just a mistake because he hasn’t been home for a while. Pretend I didn’t say it, bro. Please. I didn’t mean it that way.” JJ said, reaching out to grab John B.’s shoulder.

John B. jerked back and grabbed the door. “Whatever, JJ. I’ll be in the car.”

The door slammed and JJ kicked the wall. He ripped his hat off and ran his hands through his hair before putting it back on. This trip had been nothing but cursed from the start. He figured it was that witch he had seen the other night with Pope.

They drove back to the Outer Banks and John B. was silent the whole drive, ignoring JJ’s attempts at conversation and to make him laugh. 

They pulled up to the Chateau around two in the afternoon and JJ went to open his door, happy to be out of the tense environment of the car. 

“Wait. Give me the money.” John B. said, holding his hand out to JJ. 

“What? Why?” JJ asked, one foot out the door. John B. had never been the type who cared about any mutual money they earned and JJ typically held onto it or they stashed it in John B.’s room. 

“Why should you keep it? I don’t know what shit you get up to. You could get it stolen. Your dad could steal it.” John B. said, opening and closing his fingers for JJ to put it in his palm.

JJ forced himself to stay calm. He knew John B. was just reacting to everything with his dad and that JJ’s slip up had amplified that. But he was already going to get the shit beaten out of him by his dad because of this trip and he didn’t appreciate what John B. was implying. Even if it was true.

“Seriously? I’m sorry I had to cut our trip short but I’m going to go get my ass beat because of it. And I’m sorry I used the wrong word this morning. But I’m on your side, bro. Why are you being a dick to me?” JJ said, raising his eyebrows at John B. He tightened his grip on his backpack.

“I’m not. And you wouldn’t be getting ‘your ass beat’ if you actually just listened to me and stayed with me full time. Problem solved. The money’s just safer with me. We all know you don’t really work at the marina.” John B. said.

JJ took a deep breath to try to stay calm but he felt himself losing it. John B. had no idea what it was like to have a dad like his. It wasn’t as easy as he always made it out to be. His dad was awful, yeah, but sometimes they had fun together and they loved each other. JJ wasn’t going to abandon the only family he had. He also couldn’t, since he was only fifteen.

“You know what, dude? I’m going to go. If you need anything, call me. But I’m not going to sit here and listen to this.” JJ said as he slid fully out of the car and slammed the door. He grabbed his board from the roof of the van.

He walked over to his dirtbike and got on, revving it up. He struggled to hold his board and steer with one hand and he heard John B. yell something after him, but he didn’t listen. He would give him a few days to cool down and could ask Pope to check on him.

____________________________________________

“So, just talked to John B. He said you ‘have the money’ and are up to shifty shit? I told him you literally always were but he said it’s worse and I need to intervene. So spill.” Kie said as JJ walked towards where she was waiting on the beach.

He put his surfboard down and shook his wet hair towards her on purpose, smiling when she cursed his name. 

“John B. needs to chill. We stole a Kook watch a few weeks ago and _I_ found us a good place to pawn it off, so I’m just keeping the money safe for both of us until we’re ready to spend it.” JJ said as he sat down next to Kie. 

“Ok. We’ll come back to the theft. Explain the shifty shit?” Kie said, laying back in the sand and looking at the sky.

“There is literally no shifty shit other than what we all do together. He’s pissed because I had to cut our road trip short because work came up. That’s it.” JJ said, shrugging and laying down next to Kie.

“That’s shifty to me. Because the JJ I know would say fuck it and would lose his minimum wage marina job anyday and continue the trip with John B. Thanks for the invite, by the way.”

“We can go all together now on a better one, so you’re welcome. And there’s only so many jobs here, Kie. I have to have one if I want to buy the necessities.” JJ said, turning his head to look at her.

“But you’re lying about working there.” Kie said, looking back at him.

JJ put a smile on and sat up. “What are you all talking about? I work at the marina and when I’m done, I hang out with you guys. Do you want to see my timetable? I work there and that’s it.”

“I’m just gonna say it. Cut the shit, I went there today and they told me you don’t work there.” 

JJ froze and closed his eyes since Kie couldn’t see. “Why would you go there? You must have gone to the wrong marina.” 

“I didn’t go to the wrong marina. What are you really doing, JJ? Just tell me. What’s the point in having best friends if you can’t tell them what’s going on in your life?” Kie said, sitting up and pressing her shoulder into JJ’s. 

JJ weighed his options and decided that if he had to come clean to any of his friends, Kie was the best option. She wouldn’t freak out as much as Pope and he didn’t want to give John B. the satisfaction of knowing his suspicions had been correct.

“Promise me you won’t tell Pope or John B. And promise me that we can go buy some sick new boards after this with the money.” He said, pouring handfuls of sand over their feet.

“I ain’t no snitch.” Kie said.

JJ couldn’t help but smile and took a deep breath before telling her. “I’ve been working with my dad. That part is true. But I’ve been helping him with these…smugglers. And I’ve been making a lot of money, Kie. And I don’t plan on stopping.”

“Smugglers? What are they smuggling? Please don’t say humans, JJ.” Kie said, knocking his hand that was pouring sand on her foot away from her.

“Humans?! What do you think I am, Kie? I would never do that! This isn’t a movie.” JJ said, looking at her like she was crazy. He felt kind of hurt that she would even suggest it.

“Ok ok, I’m sorry. I know you wouldn’t. It’s just...smuggling isn’t a word you use with a lot of shit, it’s the first thing I thought of. What is he smuggling?” She asked.

“Drugs. But we don’t even deal with that part. We make hides. Like things that they use to cover the drugs so no one notices them.” He left out the part about his dad getting a deal on cocaine and it becoming a major staple in their house. Like more common than bread or milk.

Kie’s eyes bugged out but she did a good job covering it up. She rubbed them and took a deep breath. JJ felt bad making her worry, but it also felt good to finally tell someone what he had been up to for the past six months. 

“JJ, I’m going to say this because I love you. Your entire life will be ruined if you keep working with your dad. Because you will get caught eventually or things will be traced back to you and it will be serious time in jail or juvie or whatever. Don’t let your dad take you down with him. Let me help you.” Kie said, putting her hand on JJ’s knee. 

“I’m making a lot of money, Kie. Like ten times the amount I’ve ever made at one of my shitty part time jobs. We aren’t gonna get caught. I barely do anything.” He said. 

“The money isn’t going to matter when you get caught. Besides, if you need money, you can always come to me. I can give you some or I can get you a job at The Wreck. You know that, right?” She asked. 

“You don’t get it, Kie. It’s about independence. It’s about doing it on my own and finally being able to afford shit everyone else has, like a phone. I know you just want to help, but seriously. It’s fine. And you promised you wouldn’t say anything to John B. or Pope. So this is our secret.” JJ said, raising his eyebrows at her and giving her a look.

“I’m sorry, no. I don’t get it, you’re right. And I’m not going to break my promise and tell them. But I’m not just going to sit here and say ‘ok cool’ to finding out that my best friend is helping drug smugglers!” Kie said.

“I don’t even talk to them, Kie. I’m just working with my dad. He deals with them. It’s not going to end in my arrest or a shootout or whatever you’re envisioning.” JJ said, pulling his board close to check for dings.

“Ok, I’m going to try to appeal to the old JJ who avoided his dad whenever possible. My dad pays ten dollars an hour. You could work in the kitchen.” Kie said.

“So you want me to go from one asshole dad to the other or..?” JJ asked. Kie pushed him.

“Be careful when you talk about my dad, asshole.” She said.

“I’m sorry? The man has literally threatened to skin Pope, John B. and I alive at least three times. Thanks but no thanks.” JJ said back. 

“I work there, JJ! It would be fun.” Kie said, bumping her shoulder into his.

He smiled, but stood up, brushing the sand off of his legs. He held out his hand to help her up. “I’ve got to go home because I was supposed to, like, yesterday. Want to meet tomorrow after school and shop for boards? I fucked up with John B. but he won’t be able to resist a gift.” JJ said.

“I’m there. But promise me you’ll at least consider working with me? Just think about it.” Kie said. 

“Fiiinne. I’ll think about it. Because you’re my best friend and ten an hour isn’t bad.” JJ said, picking up his board.

“That’s all I ask. And that you be careful. I mean it.” Kie said, looking at JJ seriously.

He looked away and scratched the back of his neck. “Careful is my middle name, Kie.”

“I thought it was ‘Deny’? Anyways, want a ride?” Kie asked.

“I got my bike, but can you take my board? I can’t steer when I’m holding it.” JJ asked. 

“I would be honored to have your lucky board. See you tomorrow, loser.” Kie said, taking his board from him.

“Bye, Kie, love you too!” 

________________________________________________________

JJ waited outside of the board shop for Kie, vaping. He hadn’t gone to school and didn’t plan to for the rest of the week. Luke had not been happy to see JJ a day late. He had been scarily quiet before finally snapping an hour in, going off on JJ and letting him know that he expected him to make up for not showing up by taking his cut until he could prove himself. 

At that point, JJ wanted to tell his dad that he didn’t want to help him at all, but he couldn’t get up the courage to say it to him yet. He decided to skip school that week to help him and to avoid any questions about his bruised face. He knew he should be used to it by now, but each time felt like the first time all over again, especially as he got older. He felt embarrassed that he never fought back.

“Oh my god, is that JJ? JJ Maybank? I’ve heard he’s like, the best surfer on the Cut.” Kie said as she walked up, impersonating some ninth grade girls she had overheard at the Boneyard two weeks ago. She had thought it was hilarious that JJ had some fans and had told them that he barely showered and acted like a five year old on a good day.

JJ had pushed her out of the way, trying to fix his reputation as the girls had started to look unsure. Kie reminded him of it at every chance and had told John B. and Pope who also thought it was hilarious. 

“Oh my god is that, Kiara? Kiara Carrera? I’ve heard she’s like, the biggest cockblock on the island.” JJ said, jumping out of the way as she tried to push him.

“Whatever. You ready to shop or not?” She said. She stopped when she saw the bruises on the side of his face. 

“JJ, what the fuck? What happened?” She asked. She looked like she wanted to reach out and touch him but stopped and her hand twitched by her side. 

JJ put on his fake smile and shrugged, looking away briefly before looking back at her. “Nothing new. My dad wasn’t happy that I missed work. And don’t be too smug but you might get your wish because he isn’t going to pay me again until I can ‘prove myself’, whatever the fuck that means.”

“JJ…my wish is not for you to get the shit beaten out of you. This is so fucked up.” Kie said.

“Kie, seriously, it’s fine. It barely ever happens. I should have gone back when I was supposed to. But does your dad still need a new employee or no?” He asked, smiling at her so she knew he was fine.

“It’s not your fault JJ….and duh. I’ll talk to him tonight and text you the details. Just try not to pull any crazy shit the first few weeks until he trusts you more.” She said, pulling out her phone and texting her dad.

“Me? Crazy shit?” JJ asked, eyebrows up. 

“Oh my god. Are you coming in or what? I thought we had boards to buy, bro.” Kie said, walking and opening the door. She looked over her shoulder at him.

JJ pulled out the money and held it up, smiling. “We do. I’m going full Kook on this, Kie. Kook boards for the Pogues, baby.”

_________________________________________________________

“Honey, we’re home!” JJ called as he and Kie propped the new boards up against the porch and ran into the Chateau. He smiled at her, knowing John B. would get excited and forget about their fight as soon as he saw the gear. 

He was only slightly surprised to see Pope sitting on the couch. He didn’t think he had seen their ‘ _urgent business, meet at Chateau_ ’ text.

“Hola, Pope. Como estas, dude?” He asked, sitting down next to him. Kie sat on the coffee table. 

“What did you do to John B.? It’s taken me like twenty minutes just to get him to agree to leave his room. All the work from the other night, erased. He’s in the shower.” Pope whispered. 

“I might have _accidentally_ used the wrong verb tense when talking about his dad. It was a total mistake. I do think he’s alive. But he didn’t take it well.” JJ said, avoiding looking at Pope and Kie.

“JJ! Come on, that’s like the worst thing you can do in this situation. We have to all pretend for his sake that his dad is ok.” Kie said.

“Unlike you two, I’m actually not pretending. I do think he’s ok. It was an honest mistake!” JJ whispered back, looking towards the bathroom.

Kie opened her mouth to answer, but Pope cut them both off. “Both of you, shut up. I’m just letting you know what kind of mood he’s in. What’s the urgent business? And JJ, thanks for inviting me on the trip, by the way.”

“Thank you! I said the same thing! It’s like they don’t think we are spontaneous.” Kie said, gesturing towards the area where JJ was sitting and the bathroom that held John B.

“More like, you both have parents who notice if you aren’t there at night. We can all go on a real trip together next time, don’t worry your little heads over it.” JJ said, shrugging.

“Speaking of parents, what happened to your face? Because it couldn’t have been a fight since you weren’t at school today. So don’t even try.” Pope said, looking at JJ before exchanging a look with Kie. 

“Don’t look at each other like that. Yes, it was my dad. No, it doesn’t happen a lot. Yes, I’m fine and over it.” JJ said, scowling.

“That’s not ok, dude.” Pope said, but he didn’t say more. Pope had always been unsure of how to handle the situation. He understood why JJ didn’t tell an adult, but he hated that it happened.

“Alright, Pope, what did you want to-” John B. stopped mid sentence as he walked out of the bathroom and saw that Pope wasn’t alone anymore. 

“Hey, dude.” JJ said, doing a little half wave from the couch at the same time that Kie said, “Hey, John B.”

“Hey.” John B. said back awkwardly. He looked at JJ and looked like he was about to say something but JJ cut him off. 

“Sorry about the other day, bro. It was fucked up and I’m sorry. But you are going to be so happy when you see what Kie and I did. You too, Pope. You might want to sit down.” JJ said, standing up and walking towards the porch door.

“I am sitting down.” Pope said.

“John B. then. Have a seat. I don’t want you to collapse from excitement.” JJ propped the door open with his foot and pulled John B.’s new board inside. 

“Santa came early this year!” He said, balancing it against the wall and getting the other board. “This one is John B.’s. Pope, here you go. Safest board in the game for you. Basically a Volvo. Kie and I left ours in the car but we are going to tear it up out there from now on!” JJ said as he waited for his friends to react. Kie was smiling at him.

“Is that a fucking Pyzel Phantom?” John B. asked, running over to it. JJ smiled at him.

“Duh. I know your dream board. It’s slightly used but barely. And I registered us all for The Easterns in September. Almost a year away, but still. Lots of time to train before then.” JJ said.

Pope got up and went over to his board to check it out. “This is so sick!” He paused. “Wait, a second, how did you pay for new boards for everyone?” He asked, looking between them all suspiciously.

“John B. and I have been saving up for a really long time.” JJ said, shrugging. John B. laughed. 

“Right. Ok. Just this once, I’m going to pretend I believe that because this is awesome!” Pope said.

“You guys want to go try them out or do you just want to drool over them all night?” Kie asked, standing up and laughing at them. 

“Don’t have to ask me twice.” Pope said, picking his board up and following Kie outside to her car.

JJ smiled at John B. and went to follow them when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Wait. JJ. I was an asshole and I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?” John B. asked, looking JJ in the eyes. 

“Dude, I was an asshole too. I haven’t and will never give up on your dad. He’s out there, man. I’m sorry. Of course I forgive you.” JJ said.

“Thanks, man. It means a lot.” John B. said. JJ saw him looking at his bruises but he just changed the subject. 

“You were right by the way. I was up to some shifty shit with my dad. But I’m going to stop that and work with Kie at The Wreck. How long do you think I’ll last before her dad murders me?” He asked.

John B. laughed. “You? At The Wreck? Fraternizing with his precious daughter? I give it three hours.”

“Hey! I bet you fifty bucks I last at least a week.” JJ says, holding out his hand to shake on it. John B. pulled him into a hug. 

“I’m sorry JJ. And I knew you were up to some shit. And I’m glad you’re stopping.” He said, squeezing JJ. 

JJ squeezed him back, before trying to pull away. “Alright, John B., you’re crushing me!” He said, pulling back.

They walked towards the door when Kie honked. “By the way, just say the word, JJ. And I will not hesitate to beat your dad’s ass.” John B. said.

“I’d rather have a best friend who is alive, but thanks for the offer. Now hurry up. I can’t wait to whip your ass out there!” JJ said as he ran to the car. He helped John B. strap his board to the roof.

“In your dreams. Literally” John B. said back, climbing in next to JJ in the backseat. 

“In _your_ dreams.” JJ said back.

“In both of your dreams.” Pope said from the front seat. 

“Oh my god, are you all ready to go? Because I can drive away and you three can all ride on JJ’s bike.” Kie said, reversing out of the driveway.

“I’d rather have you on the back of my bike, Kie. Then Pope, as second choice” JJ said.

“Why not me?” John B. asked, looking offended.

“Because you never even hold on. I literally have to do tricks to scare you into it. It makes me uncomfortable, man. Safety first.” JJ said.

John B. tried to answer, but Kie cut him off. “Alright, enough. Are you idiots ready to go full Kook on our fancy boards or what?” 

“I've always wanted to go full Kook but stay a Pogue." JJ said. 

"To stealing from Kooks!" John B. said.

Pope craned his neck around so fast, JJ thought it was going to snap off. "What?! Is that how you bought these? I can't use this. This is total-"

JJ reached forward and put a hand over Pope's mouth. "Step on it, Kie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How long do you think JJ will last at The Wreck?


	5. JJ and The Wreck(s)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually wrote JJ working at The Wreck so long ago and I finally found a way to fit this into a story! I figured one of the Pogues had to have worked there at some point with Kie.

Being friends with Kie since the sixth grade meant that JJ, John B. and Pope had eaten at The Wreck and spent a fair share of time there over the past four years, especially when they could convince her to get her dad to give them free food.

Even though it was familiar to him, JJ was still semi nervous to go for his first shift. He was under no illusions about how Kie’s dad felt about him and the other Pogues, and he had never had to spend any real time with him, especially without Kie, John B. and Pope. 

When he had told Kie about his concerns, she had laughed and reassured him that she would make sure that they worked all shifts together so he had backup. It helped but he couldn’t help but think about what John B. had said about Kie’s dad keeping an extra close eye on him when Kiara was around.

The day of his first shift, Kie picked him up early, claiming they needed to be there before opening so he could meet with her dad and go over the basics. 

“I hate you.” He said to Kie, as he crawled into her car at six in the morning on a Saturday. He reclined his seat and closed his eyes, putting his hat over his face.

“Good morning, sunshine. I love you, too.” Kie said as she turned around in his driveway and headed towards The Wreck.

“Why? Why would anyone ever willingly get up at this hour and go to work?” JJ mumbled under his hat. 

“You are so dramatic. It’s not that early. You get up this early sometimes.” Kie said.

“Exactly. _Sometimes._ That’s the key word, Kie. And only for fun shit, like fishing or if I never went to bed the night before. But never for work.” JJ said.

“Well, there’s a first time for everything. Plus, you should be excited. We’ve never worked together before. You work with Pope and John B. all the time. It’s Kie and JJ time.” 

“I love Kie and JJ time. But not while working at your dad’s restaurant. He’s probably going to murder me just for looking in your direction. I think we should agree to not fraternity-ize or whatever that word is.” JJ said, lifting his hat up and putting it back on his head. He looked at Kie.

Kie rolled her eyes. “Seriously, JJ? My dad knows we’re best friends. He’ll be more suspicious if we don’t _fraternize._ Just act normal and follow directions. Well, maybe act a little more mature than normal. But it’ll be fine. I promise.”

* * *

“I’m not paying you to talk to each other. JJ, I need you to wash the dishes. Kiara, come work the register, please.” Mike said as he walked in on Kie and JJ laughing in the kitchen with Jamal (the cook) and a few others.

“Aye aye, sir.” JJ said, saluting Mike. Mike narrowed his eyes at him and JJ held up his hands, walking over to the dishes. “I mean, yes sir.”

“I always work in the kitchen, Dad. Sam is out there on the register!” Kie said to her dad.

“She needs help, it’s a busy morning. Go please, Kiara.” Mike said, hands on his hips as he watched JJ.

“Oh my god, chill out, Dad. He’s my _friend_. You act like you caught us making out or dry humping each other.” Kie said. JJ let out a surprised choke and covered it up with a cough.

“Kiara. Go help Sam. Now.” Mike said, holding the door open for her. She rolled her eyes and they both walked back out of the kitchen.

“Damn. What’d you do to him? You’ve only been working here for two hours. You and Kie a thing or something? He never makes her work the register.” Jamal said, eyebrows raised at JJ.

“Nah, man. She’s one of my best friends. Mr. C just hates me and my other friends because we’re from the Cut. He doesn’t like that Kie spends time with us.” JJ said, spraying down the leftover brunch plates.

“No, that can’t be it. Mr. C is from the Cut himself. So are most of us who work here and he doesn’t act like that with us. It’s because you’re too close to his baby girl, no doubt.” Jamal said, laughing.

“Mr. C? From the Cut? There’s literally no way. That man is full Kook.” JJ asked. He couldn’t believe that that could be true. Kie hadn’t mentioned it before.

“Nah. Born and raised. Trust me. It’s protective daddy mode you’re experiencing, man. I get that way, too. It happens when you have a daughter.” Jamal said, flipping pancakes and moving over to the bacon.

“Well, he doesn’t need to activate protective daddy mode because I’m here to work. Besides, if I was going to try it with Kiara, her dad’s restaurant with him watching is literally the last place I’d do it. I don’t want to get skinned alive.” JJ said.

“Skinned alive? Did he say that to you or are you just creative?” Jamal was laughing.

“Hey, it’s not funny, man. He’s threatened me and my friends like three times with that. It’s too specific not to have happened before.” JJ said, but he was smiling slightly at Jamal’s laugh. 

“He’s cool. Just show up and do the work and it will be fine.” Jamal said.

“He’s cool to _you._ I’ll believe it when I see it.” JJ said. Jamal laughed.

“Trust me, man. Just keep your hands off Kiara and do what you’re supposed to do and there won’t be a problem.”

“My hands have never been on Kiara. Especially not without consent.” JJ said, looking over his shoulder at the kitchen door and holding his hands up. 

“Good. Then you won’t have a problem with Mike.” Jamal said back, laughing again. Apparently, he thought everything was hilarious.

* * *

“Where have you been?” John B. asked as JJ came into his room and threw himself down onto John B.’s bed next to him. “And get your dirty ass boots off my bed, JJ.” He kicked JJ’s feet.

“These dirty ass boots?” JJ asked, taking one off and lowering it down near John B.’s face.

John B. reached over and picked up some dirty boxers, throwing them into JJ’s face. He choked and threw them back at him. “That is not fair. My shoes haven’t been all over my junk, bro!”

“We don’t know that.” John B. said, laughing.

“Yes we do!” JJ said back. He kicked John B. and laid down again.

“So where have you been? I’ve barely seen you the past few weeks.” John B. said.

“You see me plenty. But yeah, I’ve been really busy because Pope’s been on my ass about this test and making me study with him all the time. And I’ve been working with Kie at The Wreck. So poor little John B. has been getting neglected.” He said, pinching John B.’s cheek and leaving out the part about being forced to still work with his dad. 

“Shut up. You don’t even go to school. I’ve barely seen you there. What have you been doing during the day and why haven’t I been invited?” John B. said, slapping JJ’s hand away.

“I go to school all the time. We have mostly different classes, man. Want to skip Thursday and get some practice in at the beach?” JJ asked. 

“Hell yeah. But that’s a lie. We always see each other in the hallway and at lunch and shit. You haven’t been there. You trying to get better than me while I’m stuck at school?” John B. asked.

“I am better than you and always have been, bro. As if I would need extra practice for that to happen.” JJ scoffed.

“In your dreams are you better than me. Now that I’ve got my Pyzel, I’ve been nailing more cutbacks than you everytime.” John B. said. 

JJ rolled his eyes and pulled out a blunt he had rolled earlier. John B. tried to grab it but he pushed him off and sat up, pulling out his lighter.

“Hang on, let me light it.” He said.

“So, spill. How has it been working at The Wreck? You do still work there, right? Kie hasn’t said anything about her dad trying to murder you yet. Honestly, I’m shocked that you’ve lasted this long.” John B. said. 

JJ took a hit and passed it to John B. He was surprised he still worked there too, but he actually kind of liked it. Everyone was really fun in the kitchen and it was nice spending time with Kie after last year. Even her dad had started to back off slightly once he saw that JJ could work hard, even though he still kept them separated as much as possible. 

“Yes, I still work there. So you owe me fifty bucks. And he’s actually not that bad. I mean, he’s definitely an asshole, but he leaves me alone if I just do my job. And did you know he’s from the Cut?” JJ asked.

“Duh. Kie told us that in like, the sixth grade. I can’t believe he hasn’t murdered you though. That dude hates us all so much.” John B. said.

“She never told us that! But hey, it’s kind of cool that he married a Kook. That means you may have a shot with Sarah Cameron. We all saw you drooling over her last weekend at the Boneyard. That was embarrassing.” 

“I was not drooling. More like it means one of us may have a shot at marrying Kie.” John B. said, blowing a smoke ring at JJ.

“Kie’s not a Kook, asshole.” JJ said.

“Obviously. I meant a rich chick. One of us might have a chance to marry a rich chick is all I meant.” John B. said.

“Oh yeah? Is that your plan? Just grow up and marry a rich girl and live off of her?” JJ asked, laughing at John B.

“Sounds like a solid plan to me.” John B. said back, handing the blunt back to JJ. “But seriously, I’m glad it’s working out at The Wreck for you. It must be good to get away from your dad.” 

JJ swallowed and looked away before lying. “Yeah, it’s better. Free food at the end of every shift too.”

“And you lied and told me it was only every two shifts. Bring me fries, dude.”

“You can probably get a job there too, John B. Get your own fries.” JJ said.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just promise me you’ll bring me some next time.” John B. said as JJ got up. 

“No promises, bro. Wanna go bother Pope?” JJ asked.

“Yeah. I’ll meet you on the boat in five. Let’s see if we can hijack him from the store.”

“Won’t say no to that.” 

* * *

JJ was leaving for school the next morning when he turned the corner and ran straight into Luke. Luke put a hand on his chest and pushed him back slightly and JJ tried to calm his breathing down. He hated being surprised.

“Where are you going?” Luke asked, looking at his backpack on his back before walking over to the fridge and getting a beer out. 

“School.” JJ said, taking a tiny step back. He mentally added the word 'duh'.

“We’ve got shit to do. We’ve only got til Sunday to finish this.” Luke said, turning back to JJ.

JJ hadn’t worked up the courage to tell Luke that he was working at The Wreck and that he didn’t want to work with him anymore. He had been working there for two weeks now, while working with Luke and he was exhausted. 

He had been skipping school to keep up with everything, but Pope was on him about that. He didn’t know where to be, he was so busy trying to make everyone else happy. He was about ten seconds away from quitting on everyone and just surfing all day, every day. He didn’t want any responsibility, and this was way too much.

Luke hadn’t paid him any money from the project they completed last week, still saying he needed to prove himself, which was bullshit. JJ wanted to tell him that he didn’t want to prove himself because he didn’t want to work with him at all, but he had been waiting until his dad was high and in a good mood. Now was definitely not that time, but he had to go to school. Pope was going to freak out if he missed today since he had been helping him study for his History test for the past week. 

“I can’t, Dad. I’ve got a test today, I can’t miss it.” JJ said, trying to take another tiny step towards the door.

“I wasn’t asking.” Luke said, wiping his mouth and looking at JJ. 

JJ bit the inside of his lip, trying to decide what to do. He knew what would happen if he tried to leave and go to school, so he decided Pope would just have to accept the loss and hope that he could retake the test.

“Go on. You can get started. You owe me anyways since I had to do most of the last one by myself.” Luke said. JJ bit the inside of his lip harder to resist saying anything back. By the time he and John B. had gotten back from their trip, his dad had barely started and had made him do most of the work anyways. He had been doing that a lot the past two weeks and JJ was tired of it.

He went out onto the porch to get started. He could hear his dad fumbling around in the kitchen and tensed, knowing he was snorting coke. His dad came out after about twenty minutes and fucked around while JJ struggled to work on his own. He decided to try to bring up his new job while his dad was freshly high and see how it went.

“I got a job at The Wreck. In the kitchen.” He said, looking over at his dad before looking away.

“The fuck? You got a job right here.” Luke said, not looking at him.

“I need money, Dad. I make ten an hour there and it’s not bad.” He said.

“Well if you hadn’t fucked up, you would be making way more than that.” Luke said back.

JJ stayed silent. He knew better than to argue back. He glared at the wrench in his hand and made a mental note to text Kie and tell her not to pick him up from his house later, but that he would meet her there.

“Here, pass me that wrench. You’re doing that all wrong, you little shit. You have to-” JJ drowned his dad out, cursing himself for not getting high this morning. He should have known he would end up here instead of at school.

* * *

JJ had been stuck at home all day when he heard the honk outside. He had totally forgotten that he had a shift with Kiara that started soon and to text her, letting her know not to come to his house. His heart rate immediately elevated, thinking about how he could get out of this and how to keep Kie away from his dad.

“Who the hell is that?” His dad asked.

“Shit. That’s Kie. I’ve got to go to work.” JJ said, standing up and walking towards the back door to get his backpack, seeing if that would work.

“You’re already at 'work'. Sit down and keep going. You can go there when we’re done.” His dad said.

“I have to go. My shift starts at four. If I’m not there, I’ll get fired.” He said, one hand on the doorknob.

“Do I look like I give a shit?” Luke said. “Sit down. I’m not saying it again.”

JJ bit his lip. He had already been forced to miss his test today and Pope was going to be pissed. He couldn’t handle Kie being pissed too. Not to mention, he actually liked working at The Wreck now. He couldn’t let his dad ruin this for him too. 

“Dad, I have to go. I have to make money. Besides, Kie is outside. If I don’t come out, she’s going to come back here-” He was cut off when his dad jumped up and came onto him quickly, shoving him into the wall and punching him repeatedly, while grabbing him around the neck with the other hand.

JJ put his hands up to try to cover his face, begging his dad to stop, which never worked but he always hoped it would. Luke threw him to the ground and stopped after kicking him in the stomach, going back over to the project. JJ hesitated before slowly getting up,using the table for support. He tried not to grab his throbbing face and waited for his dad to say more. His heart was racing and he wanted to run away.

Finally Luke said, “Go, I don’t give a shit where you work. You’re worthless anyways. It’ll be faster on my own. Don’t need you wasting my time, holding me back. Go pretend with your rich friend.”

JJ ignored the feeling in his stomach at being called worthless and slowly went inside to get his backpack. He went into the bathroom and looked at his face. It was red, and the bruises hadn’t formed yet, but he knew they would during his shift. He texted Kie that he would be out in five minutes, taking deep breaths as he tried to calm down. He planned his lie to Kie and headed out to her car, his adrenaline pumping and his hands shaking.

“What took you so long? I was this close to going in there and dragging you out.” Kie said as he opened the door and got in.

JJ opened his mouth to answer, but Kie said “Why is your face all red? It looks like a bruise is showing up. What happened? Are you ok?” 

“Kie, relax. I skipped school today because John B. and I wanted to practice for The Easterns and I wiped out really badly and my board hit me in the face. Not my finest moment. Let’s just go.” JJ said, rooting around in his backpack for his vape. His hands were shaking and it made it harder.

“Your board hit you in the face? That’s not like you at all. You sure you can handle it? You need your old board back?” Kie joked. “And roll the window down if you’re gonna vape in here. I don’t want my dad to smell that.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He said.

He listened to Kie talk about surfing this weekend before saying, “You know, your dad is actually kind of cool. Not that cool, but a little. And he’s from the Cut so I think deep down, he wants to get high and go surfing with us. That’s probably why he’s always so tense. Because he has to pretend to be professional when all he wants to do is be a Pogue again.” JJ said. His face was throbbing but the vape and Kie were good distractions.

“Um...negative. My dad definitely does not want to get high and go surfing with us. He would kill me if he knew I got high. So keep that idea to yourself, please. But yeah, I told you guys he was from the Cut a long time ago.” Kie said, shrugging.

“I don't remember that. At least I don’t have to ask about your mom. I know she’s full Kook.” JJ said.

“What was your first clue? But I mean, at least my mom wasn’t too Kook to marry a Pogue. I think that’s kind of rad of her.” Kie said.

“Totally rad. Maybe your parents aren’t as Kook as I originally thought.” JJ said.

“No, they are. They live for their time at the country club. And my dad will definitely kill you if he sees a reason to.” Kie said. She turned into The Wreck and got out. “Alright, come on. We have one minute before we’re late.” She said as she waved her hand for him to come with her. He hit the vape one last time and put it in his backpack, getting out and following her inside.

“Hey Mr. C. Do you love how we are right on time for our shift or what?” He said as they went behind the counter right as the clock hit four. 

Mike looked up at them and JJ could have sworn he almost smiled before covering it up. “That is impressive. JJ, Sam isn’t in today and it’s pretty quiet right now so I wanted to teach you how to work the register. Kie, you can do dish duty? Reagan is back there too, but she needs some help.” He said. Kie rolled her eyes and looked at JJ, who shrugged at her. She patted JJ on the back and headed towards the kitchen.

“Sure thing, Mr. C. Have fun with the dishes, Kie.” JJ said, smirking at her.

Kie flipped him off over her shoulder and Mike’s eyes bugged out. “Kiara!” He said, but she let the kitchen door close behind her. 

JJ forced himself to put on a straight face when Mike turned to him and said, “I’m sorry. That was rude of her.”

“Nah, it’s ok, Mr. C. I deserved that. Kie doesn’t take any shit from anyone. It’s awesome.”

Mike shook his head before reaching up to awkwardly pat JJ on the shoulder. JJ flinched and stepped back before catching himself and putting his backpack on the ground. Mike looked at him hard and JJ froze, looking away.

“What happened there?” Mike said, gesturing to the same spot on his own face where Luke had hit JJ.

JJ smiled and shrugged. “Well, it’s kind of embarrassing, but I was surfing earlier and wiped out and my board hit me in the face.”

“It grabbed you on your neck too?” Mike asked and JJ froze. He hadn’t realized that his dad had been holding him still by his neck earlier. Whenever it happened, he blurred it all out until it was over. 

“Yeah, it has a mind of it's own.” JJ said, looking at the cash register. He wasn’t going to discuss this anymore. “So how do I work this thing? I just push the buttons and put the cash in?” He said, walking over and touching buttons to distract Mr. C.

“Don't touch that-hang on! You can’t just do that. It messes up the whole system.” Mr. C. said as he rushed over.

“Sorry. I'm just ready to learn, sir. I’m happy to get a break from the dishes.” JJ said, glad his distraction worked. 

“Ok, so I’m going to teach you the basics and then we can practice ringing someone up together. And then if you want to help me close tonight, we can go over more of that.” Mike said.

“Sounds good to me.” JJ shrugged. 

The rest of the shift passed quickly. JJ liked interacting with customers and working the register and almost didn’t want Sam to come back. He hated washing the dishes. 

They closed at nine and Mr. C. let everyone else go home. JJ was wiping the tables down when Kie came out from the kitchen.

“Dad, I finished up in the kitchen and it’s all locked down till tomorrow.” Kie said, coming out from the back and passing JJ his to-go order. “How’s our new register boy working out?” She asked, walking over to JJ and putting her elbow on his shoulder.

Mr. C. looked at her elbow and JJ took a slight step away. “JJ, what the hell?” Kie said as her elbow fell off. 

“Kiara, we’re still working here. JJ is going to stay a little longer so I can show him how to close. I’ll see you at home, honey.” Mr. C. said. 

“I’ll just wait. I’m his ride.” Kie said as she walked around the counter and sat on a stool.

“I’ll give him a ride home, Kiara. It’s a school night. You head back, ok? I’ll be home soon.” Mr. C. said, looking at her. JJ figured that was his ‘don't question me’ face because Kie didn’t argue back like she usually would.

She sighed and looked at JJ to see if he was okay with being alone with her dad and he made a semi-fake terrified face at her. She laughed and got her bag. 

“Alright, I’ll see you at home. See you tomorrow, JJ. Try not to break the register!” She called as she walked out. 

JJ was tempted to flip her off like he would have done if her dad wasn’t there but didn’t have a death wish. 

They went over how to close and did a final count of the money before Mr. C. gave JJ his part from the tip jar. 

“All right, so now you know how to do most jobs here. I like to teach everyone in their first few weeks in case someone calls out. I’ll be ready in five, JJ. I just need to finalize this and I’ll give you a ride.” Mike said.

“It’s cool, Mr. C. I can walk.” JJ said, nervous to be in a car alone with him. He might have been cool today but he was still not someone JJ wanted to spend recreational time with.

“Don't be ridiculous. It’s dark out and I have a car. Just let me finalize this and I’ll be ready.” Mike said. 

JJ shrugged and opened his box of food he was taking with him, eating some and sitting at the counter. The best part of working here was definitely the free dinner at the end of every shift. John B. was right to be jealous.

“So where do your parents live again? What road?” Mike asked from the register.

“Um, well we live on Gulls Cry. But it’s just me and my dad. And I’m actually staying with John B. this week because my dad is away. He lives on Rip Lane.” JJ lied, fry halfway to his mouth. He sure wasn't having him drive him to his house. 

“I didn’t know that. Did I ever tell you I grew up really close to there? On Marlin Drive.” Mike said.

JJ nodded. “Nah, but Jamal told me you were from the Cut too.” He left out the part about not believing him at first.

“Yeah. I grew up there with my mom and my sister. It was rough at times, but we had fun. Until my mom married my step dad when I was thirteen. This really aggressive asshole who liked to control everyone with his fists. He would hit us for the tiniest things. He enjoyed that we were scared of him.” He said, looking at JJ. His eyes went down to JJ’s neck where he knew he had a bruise.

JJ swallowed, hard. He tried to act casual as he said, “That must have sucked.”

“It did suck, you’re right. It took me a long time to realize that I could have just asked for help. Instead I would lie and make up stories about what happened if anyone asked. Luckily, my mom left him when I was sixteen. But I always regret not telling anyone. I could have stopped it a lot sooner.” Mike said. He had stopped working with the money and just stared intensely at JJ.

JJ swallowed again and looked down at his burger. It was clear what Mike was hinting at and JJ was freaking out on the inside. Unlike Mike’s situation, he didn’t have a mom that he would stay with. If anyone took action against his dad, he would have to go to foster care away from the island forever.

“That sucks, Mr. C. I’m glad it worked out for you though. Now you’re full Kook, living it up with a great restaurant.” JJ said, trying to smile.

“Full Kook? That’s rich. If I was full Kook, you think I’d be breaking my back working here myself everyday? I actually love working.” Mr. C. said. 

“Yeah, I guess not. Half Kook.” JJ shrugged, happy to change the subject. 

“Anyways, what I’m trying to say to you, JJ, is that if you ever have another ‘surfing accident’ again, you can always come to me. I think you’ll find that you have more help waiting than you realize.” Mike said, staring at JJ again.

“Ok…I don’t plan on having one again anytime soon, but thanks.” JJ said, losing the smile and trying not to glare at his box of food. There was no longer a question of what Mr. C meant. He stood up and put his backpack on.

“I’m just gonna walk home, since I’m staying with John B. He doesn’t live too far. See you tomorrow, Mr. C.” JJ said as he walked to the door before Mike could catch him.

He heard him calling after him, but he walked fast and ducked into the side of the parking lot, cutting through some trees into the next one.

He touched his face gingerly and winced when he finally felt the extent of the bruising. He pulled out his phone once he had taken enough shortcuts to lose Mr. C. if he was pursuing him and texted Kie that she owed him one for leaving his with her dad. He ignored her question of what had happened and walked to Heyward’s, going around back and grabbing one of the old bikes they had laying around. 

He started riding to John B.’s before realizing that he didn’t want to deal with any more questions and rode home. He was sure his dad would be passed out by now and if not, he never went after JJ twice in one day so he should be good.

As soon as he got into his room, he felt his phone buzz. He put a chair under his door and pulled it out, groaning when he saw it was Pope. He had forgotten about missing his test today.

He went over to his closet and pulled out his bong before getting his weed and lighter. Once he had started smoking, he called Pope back on speaker. 

“What the hell, JJ.” Pope answered.

JJ laughed, feeling better already after taking a few hits. “Dude, why don't you just skip high school and college and just become a teacher already."

Pope stayed silent, waiting for an explanation.

JJ sighed and said, "Look, Pope, it’s not a big deal. I’ll ask Mrs. Cooper to write me a pass for the teacher and retake it Friday.”

Pope made a frustrated noise. “You can’t just ask her to do everything for you, JJ. We spent so much time getting ready for that test.”

“I’m not asking her to ‘do everything for me’. I’m asking her to write me a pass. I’m the one taking the test. And I know we did. That’s why I’m literally taking it, dude.” JJ said, pausing to take a hit.

“Where were you today?” Pope asked. JJ could hear his eye roll. 

“You would not believe what happened to me today, Pope. First, I nail a tail slide only to get slapped in the face with my board. Which hurt. A lot. And then Kiara’s fucking dad. The one we all live in fear of, took me under his wing and taught me how to work his precious register. I just got home.” JJ said.

“JJ.” Pope said.

JJ waited for Pope to continue. He didn’t, so JJ said, “Yes?”

“You did not skip school to surf. Seriously? And wait, what? How the fuck is Mike ‘Skin you alive’ Carrera bonding with you of all people? He hates us.” Pope said.

JJ shrugged, finally feeling the high.

“JJ?” Pope asked. JJ realized that Pope couldn’t see him.

“Jealous?” JJ asked Pope, laying down and closing his eyes. 

“Actually, kind of. I am in the honor society and the dude looks at me like I’m about to rob the restaurant whenever I walk in or talk to Kie.”

“He does that to me too. But now he knows I’m all innocent and shit and I’m his protege. Maybe he used to be like me when he was younger.” JJ said.

“I’m sorry, you did not just say he thinks you're innocent. If he thinks that, he’s an idiot.” Pope said.

“I dare you to come to The Wreck tomorrow and say that to his face.” JJ said.

“No thanks. I’d rather stay alive.” Pope answered.

“Well, come anyways tomorrow and you can hang in the kitchen with me while I wash dishes. We can study for the test some more.” JJ said, hoping that Pope would show up and act as a buffer between him and Mr. C. 

“I doubt he would like me standing in the kitchen quizzing his dishwasher, JJ.” Pope said. JJ could tell the idea of being able to study for JJ’s test some more was appealing to him though. Pope loved to study. Nerd.

“It’s fine. I can multitask.”

“Fine. I’ll come for a little. But only to study. I’m not trying to get close to Mr. C.” Pope said.

“As if he wants to get close to any of us. I was exaggerating, dude. Trust me, he still hates me. Come at seven, ok?” JJ said.

“Seriously? You were lying? Is he going to murder me if I come or not?” Pope said. JJ didn’t have to see him to know what expression he had on his face.

He laughed and said, “He’s not in love with us, but he’s not going to murder us. Apparently as long as we keep our ‘hands off Kiara’”.

“That’s not a problem. What does he think we are just hormones and can’t keep our creepy teenage boy hands to ourselves near a girl?” Pope asked. 

“Pretty much. As if Kie wouldn’t chop our balls off if one of us tried anything non-techtonic.” JJ said.

“It’s platonic, JJ. And I’ll see you tomorrow, my dad’s coming.”

“Oh shit. Sucks to be you. See you tomorrow.” JJ said, before he heard the dial tone. He wondered what it would be like to have a dad that was as predictable as Heyward as he fell asleep. 

* * *

“Okay. The branch whose job it is to enforce the law is….?” Pope asked JJ as he sprayed the dishes off and scrubbed them.

“I totally know this one. The Executor Branch.” JJ said, looking at Pope to see if he was proud.

“Close. It’s the Executive Branch. I’ll count it.” Pope said, flipping over his flashcards. 

“JJ, my dad wants to see you for a second. Pope? What the hell? How did you sneak in here?” Kie’s voice cut them off. 

“Hey, Kie. JJ smuggled me in through the back door. I’m quizzing him while he does dishes.” Pope said, smiling at Kie. 

“Aw, that’s cute.”She said. JJ looked at Kie to see if she would make a smuggling joke but she just said, “Anyways, I’m taking my break now. Pope, want to come out back with me? I’ve got fries. Come outside when you’re done with my dad, JJ.” Kie said. 

“Did he say what he wanted?” JJ asked, trying to play it cool. They hadn’t really interacted since last night, but he still didn’t want to be alone with him.

“Nope. I’m sure it’s nothing. He probably just wants you to work the register or something.” Kie said. 

JJ took off his gloves and went out to the front. 

“JJ, come here. I need to talk to you about something.” Mr. C. said, waving for him to follow him into the tiny office he had across from the bathrooms. 

JJ immediately got nervous and debated whether he should just run for it and call it a job. He decided that it was probably just more of the same from last night and that it would look worse if he ran so he followed him in. 

“Close the door and you sit right there.” Mike said, pointing to the chair across from his desk. 

JJ closed the door three quarters of the way, refusing to be shut in with him. Mr. C. didn’t say anything so he sat down.

“Did you have anything you wanted to tell me?” Mr. C. said. He looked pissed and JJ figured it was just because he ran out on him last night.

“Nope. All good on my side.” JJ said, looking at a picture hanging on the wall of Kiara in a pink tutu when she was about ten. He made a mental note to bring it up later.

“I’m disappointed. I open up to you and tell you something personal and this is how you repay me? And I was thinking Kiara might have been right about you, but now I’m seeing that I was right all along.” Mr. C. asked again. JJ heard his tone change and could tell he was actually angry. He recognized the tone from previous encounters over the years and he tensed up, regretting going into his office alone with him without Kie or Pope. 

“What is this about?” JJ asked, gripping the arms of the chair so he could get away if he needed to.

“It’s about how I showed you how to close last night and now there’s seventy five dollars missing from yesterday’s count.” Mr. C. said.

“And you called _me_ in here why? Because it must have been me? Even though you have ten other employees?” JJ asked, getting pissed. He felt hurt too, but he pushed that down. He didn’t care what Mr. C. thought of him, he told himself.

“This hasn’t happened in years and you're the only new employee. And I just taught you how to use the register yesterday. It had to have been you.” Mr. C. said, glaring at him.

“And when did I do this? You saw me leave last night and I came here at four like I always do and I’ve been in the kitchen the whole time! Ask anyone!” JJ said. He was starting to yell but he didn’t care. This was fucked up.

Mr. C. looked unsure for the first time so JJ stood up and ran out of the office. Some customers were looking over at him, but he just ran towards the kitchen and grabbed his backpack before going out the back door. 

“Ow! What the fuck? JJ? What happened?” Kie said as he hit her with the door by accident. 

JJ ignored her and started to walk away from The Wreck. 

“JJ, wait!” Kie called again and he could hear her catching up to him. He turned around and saw Mr. C. standing by the back door and Pope and Kie standing halfway between them. He pointed at Kie’s dad and yelled, “He thinks I stole seventy five bucks from the register!”

“Dad? JJ wouldn’t do that.” Kie said, looking at JJ.

“He’s the only new employee, Kiara. This hasn’t happened in years. Who else could it be? I showed him how to use the register and then it went missing the next day. I should have known better than to hire one of your delinquent friends. I thought he was gonna prove me wrong, but I guess not.” Mr. C. said. “Come inside, JJ. I just need to search your bag.”

“Screw you! You aren’t searching shit! I quit!” JJ said, turning back around and walking away. He pulled out his vape and tried to calm down. 

“JJ, wait! Jesus, wait up!” He heard Pope call after him. He slowed down a little but didn’t stop walking. 

“Well, that lasted longer than most of us would have. Good job.” Pope tried to joke.

“Whatever, Pope. I’m so pissed. I didn’t even do anything and he blames me cause I wouldn't- cause I'm friends with Kie. It’s ridiculous.” He said, catching himself before he told Pope about last night.

“So you didn’t take it?” Pope asked, looking at JJ briefly before looking away.

JJ stopped walking and stared at Pope. “What?” He asked Pope, unsure if he had heard him correctly. “Are you seriously asking me that?”

“No! It’s just, you do steal a lot. It’s ok if you did, you could go and give him the money back and I’m sure it would work out. Or just let him search your bag.” Pope said, scratching the back of his neck.

“Screw you too, Pope.”, JJ said, walking away faster. 

“C’mon, JJ! I’m on your side here. I’m not saying you did it. I’m just saying if you did, it’s a good idea to fix it now.” Pope said, but he didn’t follow him again. 

JJ held up his middle finger over his shoulder and ignored Pope calling after him.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like giving Mike a background similar to JJ's, he is an interesting character. Next chapter there will be a resolution and the truth will come out. Pope is on JJ's side, but he knows he steals (a lot) and wants to help him do the right thing. Too bad he doesn't know yet that he already did!
> 
>   
> I love to hear what you think! :) I'm flying home to Hawaii tomorrow (yay) but the next chapter was mostly written awhile ago so it shouldn't be too far!


	6. On a Thursday. At 4:30.

“Just go for it, John B. They aren’t going to notice me. Just say exactly what I told you to say and I’ll be in and out before you’ve finished your sales pitch.” JJ said. 

He and John B. were crouched behind a brick wall that lined the yard of some huge Kook mansion. John B. had heard from his job on somebody’s yacht that there was a “MILFS Only” garden party happening since Mrs. Kook’s husband was away for work. He had told JJ in passing and JJ had convinced him that they should steal some shit. He had been sure to make John B. feel all bad for him because he no longer had a job and was going broke.

“I don’t know, JJ. They’re all gonna sense something is up. Maybe you should be the one who talks and I sneak in?” John B. asked.

JJ sighed and put both of his hands on John B.’s shoulders. “We’ve been through this, bro. You aren’t good at sneaking and you have too much of a conscience. If you make it in there, you’ll probably only take a wine glass or some shit. We need something we can pawn off. Just act normal, dude. They’ll love you. Try to sell the flowers and flirt with them.”

“JJ-” John B. started.

JJ crept over closer towards the end of the wall, eyeing the house. “I need money, dude. And so do you. How are you gonna pay the rent this month? I’m doing this for both of us.”

“My Uncle T said he’d send it.” John B. said. Uncle T had briefly come a few weekends ago and stayed with John B. JJ knew his type right away. Fun and spontaneous, but he was not about to step up and provide for his possibly dead brother’s son in that way. The dude had split after three days.

“You can’t rely on that, dude. You’ve got to make sure you can cover yourself. And cover your best friend. That’s what we’re doing right now. On the count of three, okay?” JJ said, craning his neck around the wall to look at the party. “They’re all wasted. No one will notice if I straight up walk in the house right now.” He stood up slightly.

John B. pulled him back down. “Okay, okay! I’m going. Wait till they’re all looking my way, ok? And I’ll meet you back here in five.”

JJ saluted him and John B. stood up, unbuttoning some of his shirt buttons and running his hands through his hair. He pulled out his crumpled flowers they had picked from someone’s yard and put on his stupid smile that he used around girls. JJ rolled his eyes. 

“Go, dude. We don’t have all day.” 

“Shut up, JJ. I’m getting into character.”

“Yeah. The character of a douchebag.” JJ said. John B. shoved him and walked towards the women. 

JJ watched for a second, laughing when John B. tripped halfway there. He turned back and flipped JJ off. As soon as he had loudly launched into his story and had the women looking his way, JJ shot across the yard, crouching out of view and looking in through the window.

He almost whooped out loud when he saw the huge empty kitchen. He knew there would be lots of shit to steal. He opened the side door and snuck in, listening for noises. When he heard none, he walked in farther. 

He broke out into a huge smile when he saw a bunch of hundred dollar bills on the island with some stupid love note from the Kook husband. He took half and put them in his pocket before sneaking into the living room. He picked up a gold bracelet that was on a side table and shoved it into his backpack. 

There was a noise from the hallway and he rushed back into the kitchen, trying to get to the backdoor. He was about to crouch behind the island when he heard, “Who are you?”

He turned around and forced a smile on his face, already armed with his cover story. He had worn an old shirt from a delivery service he worked for a few summers ago just in case a scenario like this happened.

The woman was holding herself up using the island and was wearing some loud printed dress. She was in her forties and was looking JJ up and down like he was a piece of meat. _Too easy_ , JJ thought to himself. 

“Hi Ma’am. I’m from Kildare Beverages and Co.” JJ said, making up a name. “I was just dropping off the wine for later. We hope you enjoy it.”

“Oh, I don’t live here. I was just using the bathroom. I’m sure Nancy will love it. I can see why she uses your delivery service. She never mentioned how cute the delivery boy was.” The woman said. JJ smiled, knowing he had found an easy target.

“That’s really kind of you, ma’am. I was just leaving but Nancy usually tips me...do you know where it might be?” He asked, looking at her like he was all innocent.

The woman waved her hand and looked briefly around the counter before her eyes landed on the remaining cash. “I’m sure that’s for you. I’d give you more if you did such a good job for me.” 

JJ almost rolled his eyes. The woman was too drunk to even notice that there was no proof he had even done a job. He kept up his act and blinked at her, “All this? I couldn’t take that much. I’m just doing my job.”

“Take it all, babe. Trust me, Nancy won’t even notice. You deserve it for working so hard.” She said, walking over to JJ and reaching out for his arm.

JJ smiled at her and shoved the rest of the hundreds into his pocket. He took a step back right when she reached out and said, “Well, please be sure to give us a call and we would be happy to deliver to your lovely house. Ask for Brandon. That’s me. I’ll be looking forward to it.” He winked at her and turned around before booking it out of the house and running to the brick wall where he saw John B. crouched. 

“Let’s go, dude! I totally scored. We’re loaded!” He said, not caring if he was loud as he grabbed John B. and they ran down the street.

They turned the corner and ran into the woods. JJ pulled out the stack of cash and flashed the bills at John B., practically jumping up and down with excitement.

“JJ, what the fuck? You took cash? I thought that was the one thing you shouldn’t take!” John B. said, but his mouth was open in surprise and he grabbed the money, counting how many.

“A lady literally handed it to me. She walked in on me and I told her my story about delivering wine and she gave it to me as my tip!” JJ said, throwing his backpack down and pulling out the bracelet. “And I got this shit. It’s gotta be worth at least $500. We’re set for like, the next two months, dude!”

“This is sick!” John B. said.

“How did it go with the Kook women?” JJ asked as he shoved everything back in his bag and they started walking. 

“Easy. I just told them the sob story and I even made fifty bucks.” John B. said, grinning triumphantly.

“I’m so proud of you, man.” JJ said, hugging John B. and squeezing him until he pushed him off, laughing.

“Kegger tonight?” John B. asked, pulling out his phone to spread the word.

“Duh. On the Kooks.”

* * *

JJ had been staying with John B. for the past week since the incident at The Wreck. They spent every second together, surfing together during the day and getting high and drinking by nightfall or sooner.

Most nights this week had ended with John B. overdoing it, JJ crammed next to him in the bathroom while he puked, continuing to drink or both of them cracking up as they did infinitely more stupid shit together. JJ relished in the lack of a parental presence, while he knew John B. anguished over it. Both covered up how they were feeling and neither talked about anything serious. It was their unspoken agreement that they both would pretend not to notice how not good the other was. 

Kie came over and hung out and had even skipped out on school at the Kook Academy once. JJ knew she still felt guilty about the whole situation at The Wreck, even though it wasn’t her fault.

JJ and Pope hadn’t talked much over the past week. Pope had come over to the Chateau once, and had apologized to JJ for real. JJ had listened while pretending not to, head turned away but ears listening to every word before John B. had walked over and joined them on the dock. He had snapped at John B. when he had called him out his “awkward” behavior, shoving him and getting on his bike to go nowhere in particular. He had heard Pope telling John B. to “just leave him alone” as he walked away.

He understood why Pope had thought he had taken the money. He was the first one to admit he liked to steal and his friends all knew it. He lied and stole and was generally a little shit. It wasn’t that it was far off from something he would do, but it hurt because he hadn’t done it. He knew he was probably overreacting, but he felt betrayed by his own best friend for not believing him immediately. 

Pope and Kie said they would meet he and John B. at The Boneyard to help set up, but were late so the party was in full swing when they arrived. JJ and John B. had been drinking pretty much non-stop all day, smoking some fancy weed JJ bought from his cousin, high off it and their success.

“What’s up, losers? Do I even want to know where you got the cash for this shindig?” Kie asked, grabbing two cups and filling them up for her and Pope. 

“You know us, Kie. We just stole a bunch of shit. It’s how we survive.” JJ said, looking at his cup instead of Pope.

Kie sighed. “JJ, we all know you didn’t steal from my dad. Who I’m still not talking to until he apologizes to you, by the way. And Pope has apologized and loves you so try to chill out please and let’s have a good time.” She turned to John B. when he threw his empty cup down onto the sand as he walked away, chasing him down and making him help her pick up other cups to make up for his transgression.

JJ was left as alone with Pope as you can be at a party and he sat down by the bonfire. Pope sat down next to him. “What’s new? I haven’t really seen you guys that much this week.” Pope said, and JJ could tell he was as on guard as he was.

JJ threw a stick into the fire and watched the flames rise. “Yeah, well, I’ve been busy. What’s new with you? Ace any tests?” 

“Not in the past few days, no. How about you? How did your make-up test go?” Pope asked. 

JJ shrugged. “Don’t know. Haven’t been to school yet. I might never go back.” 

Pope must have known JJ was trying to get a rise out of him because he just said, “Want to study this weekend? I can help you catch up.”

JJ laughed. “Yeah, right. The last thing I want to do is study. If you had asked me to do almost anything else I’d probably be there. Maybe.”

“Want to help me with deliveries tomorrow? My dad will pay you.” Pope asked.

“Literally anything other than those two things.” JJ said, throwing another stick into the fire. 

“Are you still mad at me?” Pope asked, grabbing a stick and throwing it towards the flame. It fell right before it reached the fire. 

“Why would I be mad at you? Oh because you sided with Kie’s asshole dad? No, I’m not mad, Pope.” JJ said sarcastically.

“I didn’t side with her asshole dad. I was just saying if you did do it, you should return the money. I know that you didn’t do it, okay? I’m sorry again. But you do steal a lot, JJ.” Pope said. 

“It’s not about that! It’s about you not believing me! Your own best friend! And I steal from random people, Pope. I would never _steal money_ from Kie’s family. That’s a whole new level of fucked up.” JJ said, getting angry again.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. But please don’t stay mad at me. I was just trying to help. I do believe you.” Pope said.

JJ sighed and looked at Pope. He could feel his anger fading when he saw how anxious Pope looked.

“I’m not really mad anymore. At you, at least. Talk to me tomorrow and I’ll be 100% fine. But tonight I just want to get wasted and not talk about this shit.” JJ said, standing up and looking around. “Look, John B. is embarrassing himself again. Why does he keep standing close to Sarah Cameron. As if that’ll work.” 

They both looked over as John B. tripped while reaching for a red cup in the sand near Sarah. He fell over, grabbing Kie and making her fall with him. They heard her yelling at him and JJ and Pope made eye contact before looking away laughing. 

* * *

Pope had come over once more since the Boneyard, but he had claimed they were bad influences after he stayed over drinking one school night to make up with JJ and hadn’t been back since. JJ was still a little weird around him, he was still hurt from what had happened and knew he was unfairly placing some of his anger at Kie’s dad onto Pope. He tried not to. 

JJ and John B. continued doing whatever they wanted and enjoyed having tons of cash and no responsibilities for the most part. At least JJ did. Kie had been over a few times, but even she had said they were going too hard. She had threatened to go to JJ’s cousin and get him to cut them off if they didn’t clean the Chateau, claiming it was unlivable. 

JJ had climbed over dirty clothes and plates to demonstrate how liveable it was, tripping and hitting his chin on the metal frame of the pullout. Kie had said her point was proven as she helped him up and got him ice. 

“What time is it?” John B. said as he stumbled out of his room on a Thursday morning. He walked into the kitchen without waiting for an answer.

“It’s like eleven, dude. Let it be on the record that you made us skip today, not me.” JJ said from where he laid on the couch.

John B.’s landline rang and he ran over to it. JJ sat up on his elbows and looked over hopefully. 

“Dad?” John B. said. JJ looked away at the desperation on John B.’s face.

John B. paused and his face fell slightly. JJ dropped back down onto the couch, his stomach sinking again.

“Hey, Uncle T.” John B. said.

JJ looked back over. He wondered if he was going to tell John B. if he was coming back or not. He knew John B. was hoping for that, even if they hadn’t discussed it.

“Oh, okay. Yeah I get it.” John B. said. Any previous smile was wiped away.

JJ hated that his suspicions were right about the dude. He knew John B. missed having a parental presence, even if JJ didn’t and couldn’t relate.

“Awesome. Yeah, I’ll see you then. Bye.” John B. said as he hung up. “Uncle T can’t make it back. But he says he’ll try to come for Thanksgiving. He said he would try to send some money soon.” 

“That sucks, dude. I’m here for you though.” JJ said, getting up from the couch. 

“You know him, JJ. He’s a total drifter. All he does is take shrooms and shit and travel around the country taking pictures. I doubt he’ll actually show for Thanksgiving. I mean, it’s next week, isn’t it?” John B. said.

“I bet he will, man. Anyways, we haven’t given up on your dad. I bet he’s back for Thanksgiving.” JJ said.

“Yeah...I was just hoping that Uncle T would be able to help me find him. Or that he would stick around.” John B. said, looking over at the picture of he and his dad that was hanging on the wall. 

JJ decided to change the subject before John B. started sinking again. 

“Want to surf? Use our five finger discount? Go to school? What’s the plan for today, man?” JJ asked, flicking his lighter open and closed lazily, one hand resting under his head. 

“Yeah, I think we need to lay off stealing for a long time since we’re loaded. Like, you literally just quit your job because you were accused of stealing.”

“ _Accused._ That’s the key word, John B. I didn’t do it. You know that.” JJ said, scowling at the flame of his lighter.

“Hey, hey, I know. Forget I mentioned it. I want to surf. And I’m usually down for a Kook raid but I just don’t want to go to juvie right now. Or school. Actually, we probably need to go to school at some point.” John B. said.

“When have you ever even been close to going to juvie? Like seriously? When? And seventh grade doesn’t count. I know how to do my shit now. Respect my hustle.” JJ said, grabbing his jacket and putting it on. “But yeah let’s surf. After we go get food. There’s nothing to eat here.”

“There’s always a chance. And no. Change your clothes, you wore that yesterday. You can’t just cover it with a jacket and say you’re dressed.”

“It’s clean! You literally pick up the same three shirts off the ground everyday without washing them. At least mine wasn’t on the dirtyass floor.” JJ said. John B. flipped him off as he left to go get dressed. 

JJ pulled out his phone and texted Kie asking her if she wanted to meet them after she was done with school so they could surf. He hesitated before deleting it and sending it to the group chat instead so Pope would see it. He couldn’t stay mad at Pope any longer and he missed him.

“Kie says she’ll meet us to surf later.” JJ said, ignoring John B.’s comments about his outfit when he came back into the room. “And Pope.” He added.

“Aw, you invited Popey. That’s really big of you, JJ. I’m so proud of you.” John B. said, giving him a noogie.

“Get off me!” JJ said, getting up and wrestling John B. into the sofa.

“Let go of me!” John B. said when JJ had him pinned. 

“No! Not until you say ‘JJ is the best fucking surfer I know’”. JJ said. John B. thrashed and got free, tackling JJ and pinning him instead. 

“No way! Say ‘John B. is the best fucking surfer I know’ and I’ll consider letting you go.” John B. said, laughing at JJ. 

“Ok, ok! John B. is the best surfer I know.” JJ said. John B. let him up, giving him a smug smirk.

“Idiot. My fingers were crossed so it didn’t count.” JJ said, running for the door.

“I still heard it. I’ll always remember that you said it!” John B. called after him. He tripped on JJ’s clothes and pretended to cry. JJ came back to check on him and he tackled him to the ground before racing him to the van. 

* * *

  
  


JJ and John B. came back with a pizza and were eating it before meeting with Pope and Kie when there was a knock at the door. They tensed for a second, looking at each other before John B. relaxed and jumped up. “They must be early!” 

JJ leaned over and looked through the window to see who was standing there. It was a Carrera all right, but not the one they wanted to see. Mr. C was standing there, holding an envelope. He choked on his bite of pizza and looked away quickly, ducking down and crawling towards John B. 

“John B.!” He hissed as John B. reached for the doorknob. “Don’t fucking open that door. It’s not Kie. Schools not even out. John B., stop!” JJ hissed. John B. had already pulled it open.

“Mr. Carrera? Sorry, Kie’s not here.” John B. said, frowning and closing the door most of the way again.

“Wait. I’m here to talk to JJ.” Mr. C said. John B. looked over at JJ and JJ waved his hands ‘no’ at him frantically.

“JJ? Um...he’s not here. Did you check his house?” John B. asked, scratching his head. JJ rolled his eyes. John B. was the worst liar. 

“So that’s not JJ I just saw through the window sitting next to you eating pizza?” Mr. C asked. JJ crouched under the window awkwardly, cursing under his breath.

“Nope. I mean, JJ’s not the only blonde in town.” John B. joked, going to close the door all the way. Mr. C put his foot in to block it. He was creepy like that.

“JJ, come out here, please. I need to talk to you.” Mr. C called in through the gap before walking back out to wait in the yard. 

John B. slammed the door shut and locked it. “Seriously? That asshole thinks he can just come here and order us around? Don’t go out there, man.” 

JJ stood up and went back to the sofa. “I’m not. Fuck him. He probably just wants to frisk me or some shit like that.”

They went back to watching their movie and inhaling pizza after JJ closed the blinds, glaring at Mr. C as he did. Ten minutes passed before Mr. C walked into the living room from John B.’s room. John B. screamed and jumped. JJ barely stopped himself from joining in.

“What the fuck!? How did you get in my house?!” John B. yelled, getting to his feet and putting his hand out like he was going to do karate. 

Mr. C looked at him for a second and said “You boys forget I’m from the Cut. No one locks their windows here.” He looked at JJ. “I know I asked you if we could talk. It’s not very professional to keep your boss hanging outside.”

“You’re not my fucking boss.” JJ said at the same time that John B. said, “That’s breaking and entering!”

“Last time I checked I was.” Mr C said, raising his eyebrows at him. He turned to John B. “Call the police, then. I’m sure they’d love to see all these beer cans and I’m going to pretend for Kiara’s sake that I don’t see that weed.”

“Check again. I quit. I don’t work for people who accuse me of shit I didn’t do.” JJ said, ignoring John B. and Mr C’s side conversation.

John B. crept towards the kitchen, clearly uncomfortable with being near Mr. C. JJ didn’t want to be near him either, so he stood up too. 

“You can leave.” He said as he tried to follow John B.

“Look, I came here for a reason. I owe you an apology.” Mr. C said.

“You’re just now realizing that?” JJ said, stopping on his way to the kitchen and turning to face Mr. C. “Wait, what? You do?”

“Don’t look so surprised. I can admit when I’m wrong. Even if Kiara might not agree. Sam confessed to taking the money this morning. She was short on her rent and didn’t think I’d notice. She said she felt bad that you had taken the blame.” Mr. C said. His expression was unreadable. 

“Awesome. So it’s cool for you to just treat me like shit by accusing me of shit I didn’t do and then just barge in here to apologize to clear your conscience. Job done. Apology not accepted. I’m glad Sam never had to get accused because I was there to take the blame instead. You can leave now.” JJ said, hopping up onto the counter and crossing his arms. He kicked his heels against the counter doors.

“It’s not just to clear my conscience. You’re important to Kiara and I messed up. And I know you get up to all kinds of stuff outside of work that I don’t want Kiara involved in. But I think you’re overall a good kid and you work hard. And if it makes you feel better, Kiara has been refusing to talk to me and I fired Sam. If you still want to work with us at The Wreck, we’d be happy to have you. I’ll leave your paycheck here. Feel free to call or show up anytime.” Mr. C said as he turned to leave. 

“Do you think this means we can eat for free at The Wreck?” John B. asked JJ, thinking that Kiara’s dad couldn’t hear them anymore.

Mr. C didn’t even turn around when he said, “No one’s eating for free. Especially not you. I trust you the least. Always have.” 

John B.’s jaw dropped and he looked at JJ before flipping off Mr. C’s back as he walked out the front door. 

JJ snorted. “Really brave.”

“Why would he trust me the least? Less than you and Pope?” John B. asked, offended. 

“He doesn’t trust me either, John B. But if I had to say why, I’d say it’s definitely the patterned shirts. Or because you try to mack on Kie.” JJ said, getting up and picking up the envelope. 

“Shut up, I do not. And he does trust you now! Anyways, this is good news. I’m glad he found out the truth. Are you gonna work there again?” John B. asked, jumping up on the counter where JJ was. 

“Negative, bro. I’m not working for that asshole. He can fuck off. He just feels guilty cause he knows he was wrong.” JJ ripped open the envelope. “Woah.”

“What? A little or a lot?” John B. asked, jumping down and looking over JJ’s shoulder. 

“More than I earned. He feels guilty, obviously. Good. Asshole.” JJ said, but he pulled the note out that was next to the cash and tried to put it in his pocket for later. John B. saw it and stopped him. 

“What’s that? What does it say? This is so fucking weird. It’s like an alternate universe, dude. Kie’s dad is writing you notes and you’re hiding them in your pocket!” John B. said, reaching for it.

“Fuck off, John B! Just leave me alone. I know it’s weird!” JJ said, trying to hold the note away from him. John B. grabbed it.

“Call me if you ever have a surfing accident? What the hell?” John B. said. “Why is Kie’s dad giving you his number and asking you to call him?”

JJ grabbed it back and pushed John B. back. He let out a loud sigh to let John B know he was annoyed at having to explain. “It’s not a big deal. He just thinks he knows what’s up.” 

“What’s up? Like he knows we surf?” John B. asked.

“No, you idiot. Like what’s up for me. At home.” JJ said, going back to the sofa and glaring at the pizza box.

“Like with your dad?” John B. asked.

“Duh.” JJ said. 

“How does he know about that? I still don’t get why he wants you to call him about surfing accidents.” John B. asked, sitting down next to JJ and grabbing the remote from him.

JJ grabbed it back and turned the volume up on their dumb movie they got on the free channels. “Oh my god, do I have to spell it out for you, bro? My dad fucked me up, I told Kie’s dad it was a surfing accident, he knows it’s not, end of story!” JJ yelled over the tv as he got up and grabbed his keys. “I’ll meet you guys at the beach. Make sure my board’s strapped on tight. I won’t forgive you if you fuck up my baby.”

He heard John B. answer but he didn’t stop to listen.

* * *

JJ went to his cousin’s and got a lot of his best weed, using one of the hundred dollar bills he and John B. had stolen. His cousin had laughed at him and asked if he had stolen it from his dad. He told him he wasn’t stupid and left without getting his change, not in the mood to talk about stealing, money or dads. He took a bottle of blue liquor from his cousin’s fridge on his way out since he had paid extra.

He showed up late to the beach and got high while watching his friends surf. They called out for him to join them but he just waved his blunt at them so they knew what he was doing. He could practically see the eye rolls, although he knew John B. wanted to join him.

His phone buzzed and he looked at it, eyebrows scrunched together as he read the message from Mimi. 

_A heads up, sweetie. Your mom is about to call you. I told her to let me talk to you about it first, but she’s insisting. If you talk to her, I think you’ll be surprised. Love you._

JJ almost threw his phone into the ocean once he finally figured out what it said. He didn’t have any patience left with anyone. He had finally been starting to forget about all of the shit with his mom having a baby and now she wanted to call him? Let her wait, just like he had for years and years.

He was tired of everyone using him to make themselves feel better.

His phone almost immediately started buzzing and he saw a Florida number run across the screen. He could almost picture Mimi and his mom fighting and Mimi texting him to warn him right before. He was glad she had, but he felt his thoughts and emotions racing and he wanted them to slow down. 

He rolled another blunt, just to make sure he was out of his mind high and wouldn’t be able to let his thoughts linger on anything but the feeling he was floating on. He opened the blue bottle he had taken and started drinking some of it, not caring what his friends would say. His hands were shaking and he didn’t know if it was from too much weed or because of the call. He didn’t care. He had been waiting and hoping for a call from his mom for years and now that it was happening he wanted nothing more than for it to stop.

* * *

“Is he cool? We were only out there like an hour after he got here. Since when does he drink hard liquor alone? It’s not even dinner time. How has he been this week, John B.?” 

JJ must have fallen asleep on the beach waiting for his friends to be done surfing. He heard Pope talking above him and he tried to open his eyes but they were so heavy.

“Yeah, he’s cool. I mean he’s upset about the shit with Kie’s dad but I think he’s good. Too much weed and booze. Or he’s just tired.” John B. said and JJ felt a toe nudge him. 

He forced his hand up and grabbed an ankle before pulling on it, trying to knock John B. or Pope over for talking about him like he wasn’t there. 

“JJ? That’s my ankle. You’re just stroking it. I don’t know if you’re aware or…?” Kie’s voice came towards him. It was closer than John B. and Pope’s and he could tell she was crouching over him.

JJ forced his eyes open before slamming them closed again when the light hit him hard. “Ugh.” He said, throwing his arm over his eyes. 

He heard them all sit next to him.

“And this is why I don’t smoke. Ever. Or drink on school nights.” Pope said. “Do you want to sit up?”

“I want...to…throw up.” JJ said. He _never_ threw up. At least he hadn’t in like, five months. He figured it was a combination of too much weed and alcohol and his emotions. He cursed his stupid mom and Kie’s stupid dad for making him feel like shit. Then he cursed himself for still thinking about them when he was cross-faded.

“Aim for your left, bubba.” John B. said, patting him on the shoulder before lifting him up slightly.

“Absolutely do not aim for your left. Screw you, John B.” Kie said. 

“No, trust me, Kie. He’s right. Aim for your left, JJ.” Pope said. 

“Pope! We are sitting to his left!” Kie said. JJ heard her scooting away.

“He doesn’t know his left and right. He always gets them mixed up. Aim for John B.’s voice, JJ.” Pope said back. 

John B. got him upright and he slumped forward over his knees, waiting to throw up. John B. quickly scurried over to Kie and Pope’s side. 

“That was sweet of you, Pope.” John B. said.

JJ threw up and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. 

“Gross.” Kie said. “Drink some of this.” She added, passing him her water bottle.

He chugged it down while John B. searched his bag for weed and started trying to roll a blunt. 

“Don’t drink it all, JJ! You’ll throw up again!” Kie said, grabbing it back.

“You know what? I’m just gonna say it for everyone’s sake. You guys are not ok. John B. stop. You have to drive. He’s literally puking next to you and you’re sitting there taking his weed like he’s good. He’s drinking and getting high in public. On a Thursday. At 4:30.” Pope said.

JJ kept his eyes closed and stayed slumped over. He heard Pope grunt and figured Kie must have elbowed him.

“It’s all good, Pope. He knows how to handle it. He’s been smoking since he was like, eleven. And drinking since he was probably like, six.” John B. said, laughing.

“Ok, John B, Pope is right though. This is going past normal. For both of you. John B, look at him. This is not _handling it_. Open your eyes.” Kie said. JJ could tell she was angry.

JJ heard John B. stop and sigh. “Ok, fine! You’re right. JJ, let’s get you home.” He tugged on JJ’s arm and JJ went limp on purpose. He didn’t want to go home.

“No. I don’t want to go home. Ever.” He managed to say.

“Home to the Chateau.” John B. said. JJ liked that so he let him and Pope pull him to his feet. 

“Alright, almost there. Try not to puke.” Pope said. 

“It’s not that big of a deal, Pope. I’m not gonna puke ag-” JJ stopped and threw up all over John B.’s feet.

John B. gave one resigned nod and dropped JJ’s arm before turning back to go rinse his feet off in the ocean, making gagging noises. Kie grabbed JJ’s arm and put it around her. She and Pope got him to the van and he crawled into the back, leaning his head against the back of the passenger seat. “Ughh”. He said, closing his eyes.

“What’s really up, JJ? Is this because of my dad? He told me he was gonna apologize. I’m going to be so pissed if he was just saying that. More pissed than I am.” He heard Kie say as she crawled in next to him.

“Kie. Shhh. He did. Even though he broke into John B.’s house ninja style to do it.” JJ said, cracking an eye open and looking at her. 

“He did what?!” Kie and Pope asked.

JJ shrugged, not able to explain in his state. 

“That’s good though. So the truth came out?” Pope said, crawling in to sit across from JJ. “So why are you getting trashed alone? That’s not like you.”

JJ didn’t answer, focusing on not throwing up and keeping his mouth shut. He always confessed things he didn’t want to talk about when he got drunk.

John B. walked up and leaned into the van. “What’s happening? Thanks for that by the way, JJ. I’m going to get extremely fucked up tonight and do that to you as payback. You owe me one ‘puke on you’ card.”

“No. No one needs to get to this level, John B. It’s not healthy. Therapy session right now. Get in.” Kie said. JJ didn’t need to open his eyes to see what expression Kie had on her face. He heard John B. get in.

“What’s wrong with him?” She asked.

“He’s sad about his Uncle T not coming back and about his dad.” JJ said, not knowing who she was talking to.

“Your dad wrote him a secret message. I think that’s what’s up.” John B. said at the same time.

“Woah. Ok I was talking to John B., JJ. But hang on, we’ll get to that. My dad wrote you a secret message?” Kie asked. John B. laughed awkwardly.

“Shut up, John B. That’s not why I’m sad, you don’t know.” JJ said angrily. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths to focus, trying not to throw up again. “My stupid mom just started callng me, trying to talk. I never even had her phone number until today and now she just wants to pick me up again because she feels guilty or some shit.” He felt himself start to cry and squeezed his eyes shut harder, wiping a hand over his face quickly.

He heard some scuffling and someone mouthing something. He was sure it was Kie whisper yelling at John B. and Pope about what they should do. 

“That sucks, JJ. We can get you through this together. Thanks for telling us. Telling the Pogues is the first step in getting help. It’s in our manual.” Kie said, putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it. “John B.? Your turn.” JJ opened his eyes to look at John B. 

“Ok, since JJ was honest. The usual. I miss my dad. It hurts all day, everyday. And I was hoping Uncle T would come back and stick around but he said he can’t. Getting high and drunk with JJ helps.” John B. said shrugging, but he looked like he was going to cry.

Kie put her other hand on John B.’s shoulder. Pope did the same, forming some kind of weird circle. JJ laughed drunkenly when he saw how serious they were. 

“Pope and I are gonna work really hard and brainstorm ways we can help with both of these things for you guys. For real. But for now, maybe we go to the Chateau and eat dinner and watch a movie? An old fashioned Pogue hang out?” Kie said. Pope agreed.

“Yeah, we’re here for you guys, don’t worry. Kie if you drop me off at my dad’s store on the way, I can grab us some food.” He said.

“Nope, I’ve got it covered Pope. Dinner is on my dad. I’ll just stop and run in on the way. He owes us.” Kie said, climbing into the driver’s seat.

“Damn. This is helping already. And he said I especially would never eat for free.” John B. said. “Can I get high though? While we head back?”

“No.” Kie and Pope said from the front. “Take care of JJ.” Pope added.

“Yeah. Take care of me.” JJ said before puking all over John B.’s feet again.

* * *

  
  


“I’ve been sent out here to make sure you don’t fall into the water and drown.” John B. said as he sat down next to JJ at the end of the dock later that night.

“Did Pope and Kie leave?” He asked John B. He put his vape away.

“Yeah, just now. They yelled down here, but you didn’t hear. You know them. Their parents give them curfews.” John B. said, looking at the water. “Seems kind of nice.” He added quietly, but JJ heard him.

“Yeah, I mean, don’t tell them I said this but it would be kind of nice to have one of those tv parents who waited for you to come ho-.”

JJ stopped talking as his phone lit up with his mom’s number again.

“Dude, if that’s your mom, you should answer.” John B. said. 

“What? You can’t be serious, John B. She’s been completely MIA for years, she’s never called me before today. Not on my birthdays, not on Christmas, nothing. I haven’t seen her since I was twelve for like thirty minutes at some diner when I went to stay with Mimi. And she was tripping out when I saw her, tweaking and waiting for her boyfriend to pick her up. She barely looked at me. She doesn’t give a shit. She just wants to make herself feel better.” JJ said, desperately wanting John B. to understand how he felt. 

“Trust me, I get it. All I’m saying is that if my mom called me right now, I’d answer it before it had a chance to ring twice.” John B. said, shrugging and kicking the water with his toes.

JJ paused, unsure of how to continue the conversation. Despite both of them not having their moms in their lives, JJ and John B. really didn’t talk about it much. He didn’t think John B.’s mom had ever contacted him during their friendship, but he could be wrong.

“When was the last time you heard from her?” JJ asked.

“I’ve never really heard from her. She would occasionally send a postcard or some bullshit to my dad, letting him know what region she was in. I don’t even know why. I think last time he heard from her, she was in Colorado.”

“And if you found out she had a baby? And was all happy to raise it but wanted nothing to do with you until now?” JJ asked, wanting to know what he should do.

“It would hurt for sure. I’m not saying you have to forgive her or any shit like that. Be as angry as you want. I’m just saying I would probably hear her out, because life is short.” John B. said. JJ knew he was thinking of his dad and he leaned over and bumped his shoulder into his. 

“I’m just scared, dude.” He admitted. “I get what you’re saying, I really do, but I’m just so angry, too. And jealous. Like what is so special about this kid that she can get clean and be a mom but she never could for me? What did I do to her?”

“Nothing. It’s just a fucked up situation. It’s the same with my mom. But my dad has always told me it wasn’t my fault and I believe him for the most part. So I’m telling you the same: it’s not your fault and I can’t explain it. And I can’t tell you what to do. But I’m just saying; if my mom called me and wanted to talk, I’d at least hear her out. Even if she didn’t deserve it. Life is crazy, JJ.” John B. said, looking out at the water. 

JJ’s dad had never told him anything wasn’t his fault. He always said the exact opposite, especially when it came to his mom. Hearing it from John B. helped more than he thought it would. He sighed and threw his phone back and forth between his hands. 

“Will you stay while I call her?” JJ said, nerves jumping at the possibility. His high was definitely wearing off and he felt clearer headed than he would like. He was debating between throwing his phone into the water and calling her.

“Duh.” John B. said.

JJ hesitated, finger hovering over the call button once he clicked on her number. He pushed it and held it up to his ear, heart racing a million miles an hour. His palms were sweating and he held his phone with two hands up to his ear.

“JJ? Is that you?” He heard his mom’s voice say after the fourth ring. He heard a baby crying in the background.

He hung up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sam can go down as the worst character in history. I mean she has her own struggles, but she is never seen, never speaks, just exists to cause drama for JJ.
> 
> So, up next...a little JJ and his mom...a lot of Pogue time. Kie takes JJ on a day out and Pope takes John B. to his house for some family time (which I will write in a separate fic maybe, but we will hear about here)
> 
> I think Kie and JJ are going to the boardwalk to make up for last time when they had a not so fun time there. And it may or may not be when JJ finds out that door is locked because he's tried it :(


	7. Tried It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JJ has contact with his mom, JJ and John B. go back to school and JJ and Kie have an unforgettable day out.

“Did she not answer?” John B. asked.

“I can’t do it, John B.” JJ said. “I get what you’re saying and everything but I just can’t do it. Not right now.” He stood up and paced around the dock before sitting on the edge.

“Hey, it’s cool. Maybe try texting her? That might be easier. Calling is kind of intense. I mean who even calls people anymore.” John B. said.

“Me. I like calling people. I fucking hate texting, you know that. But yeah, it might be easier with her, you’re right.” JJ said, opening up his messages.

He stared at the blank message box, unsure of what to say.

“What’re you gonna say?” John B. said, leaning over JJ’s shoulder. 

“I don’t know. What would you say to your absentee mom if you had to text her?” JJ asked, looking at John B. for help. John B. grabbed his phone and he let him, happy for support.

“Maybe try to keep it simple and she can carry the conversation.” John B. said, shrugging as he typed. He showed JJ his message.

JJ grabbed his phone and pressed the back button. “Are you for real? I’m not just sending “sup” to my mom. That’s what I send to you guys when I’m too high to call. Or what you’d send to a chick when you’re twelve years old.”

“Try “It’s me, your son. What’s up?” John B. said, getting up and walking towards the house.

JJ hesitated before getting up and following. “I’m going to send “You called?”, but I’m going to spell you with just the letter “u” so she knows it’s not a big deal to me.” JJ said as he typed it. They walked into the house and JJ almost tripped up the stairs.

“Woah. Don’t text and walk, JJ. But yeah, sounds good.That’s a good balance, dude.” John B. said as he went into the kitchen and got a beer out of the fridge. “You want one?”

JJ sent the message and shoved his phone deep into his pocket, nerves bouncing around. He felt sick again.“Yeah. Even though I feel like shit. I need to stay fucked up. I’ll be right back. I need to put my phone away.” 

John B. saluted him and got two beers out of the fridge.

JJ grabbed his backpack from next to the pullout and pushed his phone as deep into it as he could, refusing to look when he saw it had already lit up with a message. His adrenaline was pumping and he was feeling extremely anxious. He couldn’t even explain why. He had always dreamed of his mom contacting him like she said she would and here he was, hiding his phone and doing basically everything he could to pretend it wasn’t happening. 

He went back into the kitchen and grabbed the beer from John B. He was still feeling like shit, but he couldn’t stand being sober.

If he stopped now, he knew everything he was feeling would multiply by one hundred. He could barely focus on anything other than what could be happening on his phone. 

“Kie and Pope would be pissed if they could see us right now.” John B. said, looking over at JJ. 

“Why? It’s just beer.” JJ shrugged, hoping up onto the counter and kicking his feet against it. They drank beers like they were sodas on most days, when they could afford to pay someone to buy them for them.

“You spent two hours puking earlier. And I’m about to get super high and drink the rest of that blue shit you had. I need to let loose before Kie and Pope come back and try to force us to get straight and go to school or whatever.” John B. said, getting up and going to find JJ’s backpack.

“Your mom is blowing up your phone, dude!” JJ heard from his spot on the counter. 

“I’m not looking for a reason, John B! Put it back and don’t read it! The weed is on the table anyways,you stupid dick.” JJ said, banging his head backwards repeatedly against the cabinet. His knee was bouncing and he kept kicking his feet. His palms were sweaty and he felt sick again.

“I didn’t see anything. Except that she uses a lot of emojis.” John B. said as he came into the kitchen and started to roll a blunt, putting the bottle of blue liquor on the table. JJ’s stomach twisted and he almost got up to go check his phone. Or to leave and go out and sit on the beach to be alone. Anything to get away from that stuff.

“You’re doing that all wrong.” JJ said instead, getting up and pushing John B.’s hands away. “Respect the art, bro.” He forced himself to focus his attention onto rolling the perfect blunt for John B. and passed it to him, looking towards the living room where his phone was. 

“I do respect it. I just really want to smoke. And get obliterated.” John B. said, opening up the bottle from earlier. JJ gagged from the smell and walked back to the counter, stealing the blunt from John B. as he went.

______________________________________________________________

John B. overdid it and ended the night puking as usual and JJ jumped out of the way just in time to avoid it as John B. remembered his payback. They planned a big adventure that JJ knew they would never actually follow through with and John B. passed out asleep on the pullout during some rerun of some shitty action movie. JJ turned out the lights and let the tv illuminate the living room. He smelled the blue liquor coming off of John B. and his stomach rolled, barely making it to the bathroom before he dry heaved.

He had lost track of how much he had to smoke since Kie and Pope left but he was fucked up again. In more ways than one. 

On his way stumbling back to the pullout, he saw the light of his phone glowing through the thinning material of his backpack in the dark of the living room. He hesitated before going over and grabbing it. He flipped John B. onto his side so he wouldn’t choke in case he threw up again and laid down next to him.

He pushed the button on the side of his phone to make it light up and squinted at the time, ignoring the messages. 2:47am. The perfect time to be up texting his crazy mom.

His eyes went down to the messages and he swiped to open them. John B. was right. His mom seemed to love emojis as much as Mimi did. She used hearts and stupid happy faces that seemed out of place considering how uncomfortable this felt. He squinted against the bright light, ignoring how nauseous it made him and read the first few messages slowly that were basically asking how he was and explaining about the baby. 

He sent back a minimal answer and before he knew it, he was texting her as if she was a partner on a project from school and not the woman who had given birth to him. He both hated it and loved it at the same time.

As JJ texted her, he noticed two things.

First, his mom texted sporadically and at all hours of the night apparently. She would stop for a long time, and then send a bunch of texts clumped together before going silent again. He tried to force himself to remember that it was most likely because she was up all night with a baby and hopefully not because she was up all night high.

Secondly, she also texted him like it had been a few days since they had talked and not a few years, which was the same as she was when he saw her in Florida last. It made JJ want to both stop texting her altogether and pretend this never happened and continue to text, hoping for her to acknowledge that he had been growing up without her for so long and actually apologize.

His phone buzzed on and off where it was laying in between him and John B. throughout the night until John B. finally threw it across the room in his delirious state onto a pile of dirty clothes. JJ didn’t get up to get it and secretly thanked John B. for cutting him off, right as she had started asking about his dad.

___________________________________________________

“Rise and shine, boys!” 

JJ felt like he had just fallen asleep when he heard Kie. He let out a groan and tried to open his eyes, immediately slamming them closed when light hit them. He flipped over onto his stomach and pulled his pillow over his head.

He heard John B. get up and run, most likely towards the bathroom to throw up. He felt more than heard a crash and didn’t open his eyes, knowing Kie could handle John B.’s disaster.

He buried further into the mattress, springs poking into his stomach when he felt a hand pushing his shoulder. He wiggled away from it but it followed him. 

“JJ. It’s me, Pope.” 

He let out an unrecognizable noise that he hoped sounded like “fuck off”. Pope kept pushing him and tried to roll him over. JJ kicked out at him.

“Stop, JJ. It’s time to get up. Kie and I are here to help you two dumbasses.” Pope said, grabbing him.

“If you want to help you would leave us alone today. We feel like shit.” JJ said, finally rolling onto his back. He kept his eyes shut.

“That’s exactly the problem. You feel like shit because you guys have been alone doing whatever you want. We’re here to help, man.” Pope said, sitting down next to him. 

“And you had to come help in the middle of the night?” JJ said, throwing an arm over his face to block out the rising sun. He could hear more crashing and Kie yelling near the bathroom.

“It’s six thirty. We came with breakfast so you guys could eat before school. Which starts in an hour by the way. Why don’t you take a shower?” Pope suggested.

JJ stayed silent. All of that sounded bad to him.

“JJ?” Pope said.

“Oh, were you talking to me? Because I’m not doing any of what you just mentioned.” JJ said, finally forcing his eyes open and squinting at Pope.

“Yes, you are- Kie. He’s not cooperating. Should we tell him about his reward or no?” Pope said as Kie came back in the room. JJ heard the shower and figured she had finally forced John B. into it. 

“Reward?” JJ said, perking up slightly.

“Oh, I don’t know, Pope. It doesn’t sound like he wants to work with us. I’ll go to the boardwalk some other time. Or maybe you and I can go?” Kie said, looking at Pope.

“Wait. Spill. What reward? Boardwalk? Maybe I want to work with you. You didn’t say anything about this at first.” JJ sat up a little and looked between Pope and Kie.

“Well, Pope and I were thinking. You and John B. go to school and then we could split up and do something tomorrow as a reward. I was thinking you and I could go to the boardwalk to create better memories than we had last time. And Pope was going to take John B. to have some Heyward family time since he’s clearly been missing that.”

“I might be down with that.” JJ said, glad he wasn’t John B. “That’s not really a reward for John B. though. No offense, Pope.”

“He’s different than you, JJ. You’re not the same person. I think he’ll like it.” Pope said, getting defensive.

“He’s low key scared of your dad, dude.” JJ said. “But anyways. Kie. Back to us. Can we negotiate? I feel like shit for so many reasons. We go to the boardwalk tomorrow and I go to school Monday?” 

“See, I wish I could work with that deal. But the thing is, it has to start today. Because if it doesn’t, you and John B. will just do this shit all weekend and there will be no end. Take it or leave it. And it’s a full day school, not just one period and you dip through the side door.” Kie said, hands on her hips. JJ figured that this would be a bad time to tell her that she reminded him of her dad when she did that. 

JJ was silent, thinking it over. Kie shrugged and turned away towards the kitchen. “You know what? It’s cool, JJ. Don’t worry about it. My mom loves the boardwalk. And we have two of those “All You Can Eat” day passes. She and I will have fun eating everything we can and riding all the rides.”

“Oh yeah and did you hear about how they just reopened The Cobra? It goes straight up and then upside down like eight times, Kie.” Pope said, following her towards the kitchen.

JJ sat up and tried to get their attention. The Cobra had been out of commission since they were nine. It was legendary. “Wait! I think I might be able to go to school after all.” He realized he sounded desperate and shrugged. “I mean, maybe. For The Cobra.”

Pope and Kie smirked at each other before looking at him and JJ rolled his eyes and reached for some clothes from his bag. “Only for The Cobra. Well played, you manipulative bribe-arians.”

“Not a word, but we’ll take it.” Pope said.

  
  


________________________________________________

  
  


“Ugh. I’m gonna die.” JJ said as he walked towards the front doors to the school with John B., Pope and Kie. He tried to turn around but Kie put her arm around him and forcibly turned him back. 

“Shut up, JJ. You can do this. I’m going to watch and make sure you both go in and if I have to, I’ll find a way to man all the exits. You can’t let the shit that’s going down ruin your futures.” Kie said as she walked JJ up to the front door.

“My future as a pro surfer doesn’t require school.” JJ said. 

“What if you have an accident or something? You have to get a high school diploma. That’s all we’re asking. Plus, I bet you miss school deep deep down.” Pope said, pulling John B. towards the doors. 

“Negative, Pope. All we miss is sleeping, surfing and self medicating.” John B. said.

“It’s been thirty minutes since you last did that. Sometimes we have to do things we don’t like to reach our goals. That’s what my dad always says.” Pope said. 

“Sounds fun. Sign me up. Oh wait, I’m already doing shit I don’t like.” JJ said.

“Ok, drama queens. Shut up and go inside. I’m skipping the Kook Academy all day just so I can be ready to catch your asses if you even think about skipping.” Kie said, trying to steal JJ’s hat before he pushed her off.

“That’s ironic. And you promise we’re going to the boardwalk and doing whatever I want all day tomorrow?” JJ said to Kie.

“Duh. I don’t lie.” Kie said.

“Not fair. How come you get to go to the boardwalk and I have to go to Pope’s for the day? No offense, Pope.” John B. said. 

“Oh yeah, none taken.” Pope said, rolling his eyes.

“We’ve been through this. It’s all about what you both need right now as individuals.” Kie said.

“Awesome. Well just so you know. I also _need_ rollercoasters and shitty boardwalk food.” John B. said.

Kie rolled her eyes and went to sit under a tree outside facing the front doors, saluting them. The three of them walked in (or were dragged in by Pope) and went towards their lockers. Or towards Pope and John B.’s lockers. JJ never bothered to get one.

“I don’t even know where I’m supposed to go. I have to ask Mrs. Miller to print me a new schedule everytime I come and she’s always mean to me. Can you do it for me, Pope?” JJ asked, looking towards the office anxiously.

“No need. I printed your schedule earlier this year and laminated it. It’s right here.” He pointed to the laminated schedule that was taped to the inside of his locker door. 

“Nerd. Who has someone else’s schedule posted in their locker? It’s like we’re dating.” JJ said, but he leaned over and squinted at the schedule to see where he should go. 

“It’s worse than dating. We are connected for life, JJ. Tutor, tutee baby.” Pope said. 

“Don’t say ‘tutee’, Pope. It sounds kinky.” John B. said, randomly picking a textbook from his locker and walking away. “See you losers later. JJ...you already know.” He pointed two fingers at his eyes and then towards JJ.

“Do I even want to know?” Pope asked, looking at JJ warily.

“John B. told me to text him if I wanted to skip.” JJ said. “But don’t worry your little head about it, I won’t because I don’t want to be shanked by Kie. At least not like that.”

“Oh my god. Ok well you have English, so let’s go.” Pope said, grabbing JJ’s English book from his locker and passing it to him. “I’ll escort you- I mean _walk_ you.”

“I’m glad you have my books in your locker. I didn’t even know I had books.” JJ said as he followed Pope. 

He thought he heard Pope whisper “Jesus, help me.” as he looked up at the heavens, but he wasn’t sure. 

“Have fun, JJ!” Pope said as he pushed him towards his English doorway. “I’ll see you at the end of the day. Or else.” 

JJ rolled his eyes at Pope’s attempt to be threatening and went inside, sneaking to the back before the teacher noticed. 

He forced himself to stay in school the full day, alternating between slumping down as low as he could in his desk, stretching his legs out and sleeping on it. Kie hadn’t said anything about not skipping class within the building so he blew off his fourth period to go visit Mrs. Cooper, the guidance counselor. 

She told him she was proud of him for coming back to school and she gave him some candy. He told her about his plan to compete in The Easterns next year and how he didn’t even need school since he was going to go pro, but that he was here just in case. She told him that was a smart idea and that she was proud of him. 

He hid in the bathroom for fifth period and stood on the toilet, vaping out of the window. He thought he heard Kie yelling outside about strawberry flavored vapes and how that better not be him, but he didn’t listen hard enough to check.

He snuck back into his fifth period class right at the end so that he could walk out with the class, knowing Pope would be waiting to check and see if he made it all day. The teacher glared at him, but the bell rang right as he walked in, so he turned around and pretended he had been there all along as he walked out. 

“You think you’re sneaky. I saw you walk back in just now, JJ.” Pope said, already waiting by the door. 

“Bathroom, bro. Do you even go to the bathroom at school or do you hold it all day in case you miss some valuable learning?” JJ said back, going up to Pope’s locker and spinning the combination.

“That’s not even my locker, you dumbass.” Pope said, opening the real thing and putting his books in neatly. JJ tossed his in on top and it split in half. Pope fixed it. 

“Hey, shitheads. I’m honestly shocked and dismayed, JJ.” John B. said as he appeared next to them and threw his books in his locker. 

“Didn’t want to get shanked by Kie, bro.” JJ shrugged.

“You mean you’re proud? You guys stayed all day. Good job to both of you.” Pope said, shoving John B.’s hand away from him when he tried to grab his book.

“Nah, I meant shocked and dismayed. That sucked.” John B. said. 

“Caught up on my sleep. That was good. It actually felt as good as the pullout.” JJ said, as they walked towards the outside.

Pope sighed loudly but they ignored him.

“Do you guys think Kie is actually still out there?” John B. asked. 

“Duh. Kie doesn’t make empty threats, dude.” JJ said as he jumped up and slapped the doorframe. He heard a teacher yell at him.

“Kie! You proud?” JJ asked as he ran over to her outside. She was standing and talking to some of her friends from middle school, who were excited to see her again. 

“Extremely. I hope you’re ready to celebrate tomorrow, JJ.” Kie said, smiling at him.

“Again. Not fair. I’m just saying. It’s like our parents are divorced and I have to go with the boring one. No offense again, Pope. It’s just that going to hang at your house is no boardwalk.” John B. said.

“Oh yeah. None taken. I love being called the boring one, asshole. I’ll be sure to tell my parents that tomorrow when you come.” Pope said as he picked up a pebble from the ground and threw it at John B. John B. threw one back and they ran off.

“I am proud though. I know that was hard. Want to go smoke?” Kie asked JJ.

“Hell yeah. You know me. I’m always DSTU.” JJ said as he and Kie headed for her car. He saw Pope land a good hit to John B. and cheered him on. “Down to smoke up.” He added, in case she didn’t get his acronym.

“DTSU, JJ.” Kie corrected.

“I said that.” JJ shrugged. Kie laughed and grabbed John B. as he ran by, forcing him towards the car. She took out her water bottle and squirted water at Pope when his pebble hit her instead. JJ took it from her and dumped the rest onto John B.

______________________________________________________

“Alright, I see you. Two days in a row getting up early. I’m impressed and proud.”

“I get up early if there’s a reward.” JJ said, packing his bag as Kie walked into the Chateau at eight the next morning.

He shook his two pre-rolled blunts at her, silently asking if they were invited too. She hesitated and he said, “Seriously, Kie? If we’re trying to get me to feel like my normal self again, the old me always smoked everyday. Especially on a Kie and JJ day out to the boardwalk.” 

“No you’re right. That’s just Pope in my head. He said we shouldn’t today.” Kie said as she turned around and went to say bye to John B. JJ closed his bag and threw it on his back, following her.

“Hey, we’re leaving now, JB. Be nice to Pope and try to have fun today.” Kie said as she walked into his room. He was laying in bed on his phone and JJ jumped down next to him, making him bounce and causing his phone to fall on his face.

“JJ! Fuck off.” He sat up and pushed him and they had a mini cat fight. “Yeah, Kie. I’m always nice. I’m just a little bitte- JJ get off!” He cut himself off when JJ pinned him down and Kie came over and helped John B. JJ kept going for both of them, laughing.

“What’s going on?” Pope asked from the doorway.

The three of them froze and looked at each other before sharing identical smiles. “Oh shit!”, they heard Pope say as they all got up to chase him. 

_______________________________________________________

“Still can’t believe John B. is stuck going to the Heywards for the day. I dodged that bullet. How did I get so lucky?” JJ laughed once he and Kie were on the ferry. He grabbed the ceiling bar and swung from it before going to a bench outside and sitting down.

“Alright, shut up and stop teasing him about it, JJ. He misses having an adult around that he can talk to and stuff. We’re hoping they can help him.” Kie said, but she was smiling at his excitement.

“He’s not gonna open up too much because he doesn’t want DCS knowing he’s alone, Kie.” JJ said.

“Well, I bet the Heywards can talk to him about how it’s been with his dad missing. And that’s messed up. His uncle sucks.” Kie said, crossing her arms and looking at the water.

“He’s a flake. But yeah maybe. I hope it helps. I’m just saying. I’m lucky I get to actually do fun shit.” JJ said, shrugging.

“Well, you haven’t heard about stage two of our plan yet. So hold your horses.” Kie said, giving him side eye.

JJ paused, thinking about the implications of that before shrugging again. “Hasn't been discussed so I don’t have to participate in any boring ass stage two.” 

“Really mature, JJ. But don’t worry. You’ll participate in it.” Kie said, rolling her eyes and sitting down next to him. 

“Demanding, Kie. I like it.” JJ said, smirking at her. She shoved him and he slipped off the bench. He grabbed her as he fell and they both fell onto the floor. 

“Seriously, JJ?” Kie said as he laughed. He helped her up. 

“Sorry, Kie. Don’t push me and expect not to be taken down with me.” He said.

“Alright, since we are on the ferry and it’s currently floating happily towards the boardwalk. There is another part to our day that I didn’t want to tell you about until it was too late to turn around.” Kie said, putting her elbows on her knees and leaning forward to watch her feet as she swung them. 

JJ immediately got defensive and said, “Why wouldn’t you tell me everything. No. I’m not doing anything else today. We only talked about this. I’m not going to any Heywards or Carreras or anyone’s house for family time after this. Especially not near your dad.” 

“Relax, JJ. I’m not suggesting family time. Especially not near my dad. Duh. Why would I ever make you go near him after what went down. Just shut up and listen.” Kie said, sitting up and looking at him.

JJ raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms, showing her he was listening, but he wasn’t happy about it. 

“All I’m asking is that when we’re done having a bunch of fun, that we go somewhere and we talk about everything else. I’ll listen to you totally and you listen to any advice I have. Deal?” Kie said, raising her eyebrows back at JJ and giving him a look. 

“What? No. Why, Kie? Why would we ruin a perfectly fun day with that. I already went to school, why do I have to do more? I’ll talk to you, you know I will. But not today, come on.” JJ said, looking into her eyes before looking out at the water. “Besides, you already know what’s going on with me. I told you the other day.” He added.

“Ok, but me knowing what’s going on isn’t everything. It will help to actually talk about it and how it’s making you feel. Hey, Pope wanted to take you to his house too and this was my way of stopping that. If you’d rather do that though…” Kie left it hanging in the air.

“You know I don’t want to do that.” JJ said, crossing his arms. 

“All I’m asking is that we have a fucking awesome day and then before it’s over, we talk. And we can get high before we talk if that helps. But we need to talk about it.” Kie said, crossing her arms too. 

“Why can’t we talk another day, though?” JJ asked, scowling.

“Because today’s our JJ and Kie day. And the sooner you start to talk, the sooner you will start to feel better. If you don’t talk to me today, I can not promise that Pope won’t try to corner you and do to you what he’s doing to John B.” Kie threatened.

“Awesome. Fine. But I’m not happy about it. And we’re getting super high before.” JJ said, looking at her challengingly.

She looked back with the same expression. “I already said that was cool. Now shut up and let’s have fun!” She stood up and went to the railing, watching as the mainland got closer. 

JJ joined her after a second of grumbling, but cheered up right away when he saw that The Cobra was actually back in commission. 

“I heard that if you ride The Cobra five times in a row, your brain gets permanently altered. Like, you might come off it speaking French or some shit.” JJ said to Kie as they listened to the screams from the passengers on it. “We should take Pope on it. Maybe it will make him into a stoner like us.”

“Dumbass. That’s not true.” Kie said, laughing and bumping her shoulder into his. He looked at her, smiling but felt the urge to continue to stare at her as she watched land get closer. He couldn’t help but notice how pretty she looked with the wind blowing her hair back. She sensed him looking and looked back at him, shoving him. 

“Stop looking at me, you creep!” She said, laughing again. 

“Sorry. I was just thinking about how much this is helping already. Like I think by three o’clock I’ll be all better, Kie.” JJ said, following her over to get in line as the ferry docked and everyone started to get off.

“Nice try. We’re still talking at the end of the day. Now let’s go! I’ll race you to the end of the pier!” Kie said, pulling her other backpack strap on and running as soon as they were at the bottom of the ramp. 

JJ cursed her name and accidentally shoved over a man on his way to chase after her. The man yelled after JJ and Kie looked back and laughed. 

“Sorry!” JJ called over his shoulder. He almost caught up to Kie but she made it to the end first and was really dramatic and sat on a bench, pretending she had been sitting there forever.

“You smoke too much.” She said when he put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. She was barely panting. He flipped her off and she nudged his knee with her foot. 

“No, it’s cause you cheated and gave me no warning.” He panted. “Let’s go, baby! I’ve been waiting like six years for this moment!” 

He put his arm around Kie’s shoulders and they walked towards the entrance. Kie pulled out her “All You Can Eat” passes and some money and they got in line. 

“I’m so psyched, you have no idea, Kie.” JJ said. “At least let me pay for my own ticket, though.” 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a fifty. “Or should I say, let your dad pay for my ticket?” He flapped the bill in her face and she shoved it away. 

“First of all, this is on me. It’s your reward for going to school again. And second of all, save that. Is that all my dad gave you?” Kie asked, looking at him.

“No, he gave me my normal pay for the two weeks and then gave me a fifty for the inconvenience of being wrongfully accused.” He tried to sound casual but heard some anger slip back into his voice. 

Kie opened her mouth to reassure him, but the teen in the ticket booth asked how many and Kie spent a few minutes securing their bracelets and paying. 

JJ distracted her, not wanting to talk about her dad for even a second more. He dragged her towards the line for The Cobra, talking about the statistics for it.

“Wait, what? That’s why it hasn’t been working for years? I thought it was because someone sued after they got stuck upside down.” Kie said, as they stood in line.

“Nah, Kie. Trust me. I have it on good authority that there was a beheading. The guy’s head came right off and landed on that funnel cake stand right there. You see that red spot on the boardwalk? That’s from the dude’s head.” JJ pointed at an imaginary spot on the wood.

“Shut up. As if. That would have been all over the news.” Kie said as they scooted closer. The couple in front of them looked over their shoulders nervously at JJ’s story. 

“Believe whatever you want, Kie. But don’t worry either way. It’s all fixed. And I’ll totally catch your head if it comes off.” JJ said, smirking as the couple in front of them got out of line.

“Nice. Scaring innocent people to get on it faster.” Kie said, rolling her eyes as they became the second in line. The guy waved them forward and they got in, pulling the bar down. 

“It’s been nice knowing you, Kie. Thanks for the day out. Love you.” JJ said, as the guy checked their bars. 

“If I die, I’m coming back just to haunt you.” She said to him.

“That’s not very nice. If I die, I would never haunt you. I would watch over you and make sure your life was perfect.” JJ said.

“That’s actually….. so sweet, JJ.” Kie said, looking at him with surprise and a little bit of distrust. 

“I would haunt John B. and Pope though. I would scare the shit out of them. How funny would it be if they actually got so scared that they died too and joined me. And then the three of us could go haunt some asshole. Like Rafe. Or Topper.” JJ said and Kie shook her head and opened her mouth to answer when the ride started. 

“Yep. We’re gonna die.” She said as they went straight up.

“You’re turning green, Kie. I can’t wait to buy the pictures at the end.” JJ said, laughing at her. 

“I’m not green, asshole. I’ve been on way bigger coasters than-” 

Whatever Kie was about to say was cut off by approximately fifteen screams of terror and one scream of joy (from JJ) as the roller coaster dropped.

_______________________________________________________

After approximately seven hours of riding all the rides, winning prizes, eating all they could eat and riding The Cobra a record seventeen times, they finally took the ferry back to the island. JJ had tried to stay as long as possible, hoping to avoid the talk Kie had threatened him with earlier. If it had been up to him, they would have stayed up all night riding rides.

“Ok, where to?” Kie said as they got off the ferry. JJ didn’t answer and pretended to squat down to tie his laces. 

“JJ?” Kie said again, nudging him in the side with her shoe. 

“Yes, Kie. I hear you. I was hoping you forgot. But fine. I know where we can go.” He said, heading towards his bike in the parking lot and passing her his backpack so she could reach around him to hold on. 

“Two straps, Kie! That’s got the weed!” JJ said as Kie tried to fit both of their bags on her back. 

“Fuck off, JJ! I’m trying but I need to get adjusted.” She scooted up close to his back and fixed the straps of the bags before grabbing him around the middle as he turned the key.

“Our day was so much better than John B. and Pope’s.” JJ bragged as he started the engine. 

“We don’t know that. For all we know, Pope’s parents did shrooms with them and they all opened up about their feelings.” Kie said over the motor. 

JJ laughed and started driving, swooping left out of the parking lot and laughing again when Kie grabbed on harder and cursed him out. 

He drove them as close as he could to the treehouse he and John B. had fixed up in the woods by the beach when they were kids. He stopped when he saw the tree with the blue dot of paint that they always used as their marker and Kie got off first, handing him his backpack back.

“Creepy. Where are we?” She asked, looking around.

“I’ll show you. Here, I’m going to push my baby into the woods with us so it doesn’t get stolen.” JJ said as he began to push his bike through the woods. 

“Is this some plan to get me to give up on talking?” Kie asked as she walked with him.

“Oh my god, no, Kie. I’m taking you to me and John B.’’s secret spot. Have some faith.” JJ said. He put his bike’s kickstand down once they were deep enough in and they kept walking.

“Secret spot? Now I’m even more scared. Why have you guys never taken Pope or I here?” Kie asked, looking at him.

“Well, it was fucking sick when we were kids. Now, we have the Chateau and Rixon’s and stuff. Why would we all cram into a treehouse?” He said as they got to it. 

“Awwww.” Kie said as she saw the treehouse. “You know what? This is actually so sick.” Kie climbed up the ladder and crawled in. “Does that seriously say no girls allowed?” 

JJ followed her and squeezed in, not used to being in here with more than one person since he was a lot smaller. 

“Wait, do you still use it? There’s beer here! This place is awesome. We’re definitely hanging out here again.” Kie said as she opened the cooler and took out a disgustingly hot can of beer. 

“Yeah. I mean not a lot but sometimes.” JJ said, pushing the button on the battery powered string lights and laying down on the blankets. He was too tall now to really sit up without it hurting his neck. Kie laid down next to him and passed him a beer. 

“This is so cute. And this beer is fucking disgusting.” She said, looking at the twinkling lights on the ceiling. JJ made a face at having his boys only hideout being called cute but didn’t say anything. He pulled out his lighter and the two blunts he had rolled earlier for this occasion, lighting them and passing one to Kie. 

“Is this your cousin’s shit?” Kie said as she took her first hit. 

“Yeah. It’s hydroponic so it was fucking expensive.” JJ said, kicking his boots off with his feet. “Enjoy.” 

“I will. I haven’t smoked hydro in a while.” Kie said. She sat up to smoke when she choked from her angle.

“Easy, tiger. You know it packs a punch.” JJ said as he slapped her on the back. 

“Shut up. I can handle it. Let’s talk though. Do you want to start with your mom or my dad?” Kie said, turning to face him, legs crossed. 

“Neither. What is this the Parent Trap? It sounds like they’re dating or something.” JJ said, making a face at the ceiling. “This is perfect, why do we have to ruin our day out?”

“Because you told me what’s wrong and I actually want to help fix it. Or help you feel better about it. The goal isn’t to ruin our day, it’s to let you start feeling better.” Kie said, staring at him. 

“No offense, but I don’t see how talking about my shitty mom who’s basically never been there for me is going to help. And I’m sorry, but you will have to hold me at gunpoint to talk about your dad. I need a permanent break from that.” JJ said honestly.

“Ok, I promise we don’t have to talk about my dad. I can respect that. But I think talking about your mom and how it’s making you feel will help you handle the situation. Whatever you decide to do about it.” Kie said. She tried to do a french inhale, but it ended up making her cough. 

“Amateur. Watch and learn, Kie.” JJ said as he did one perfectly. 

Kie didn’t say anything, waiting for him to start talking. 

“I don’t know what you want me to say. My mom had her baby and is trying to be a mom to him, I guess. She doesn’t want shit to do with me, she’s just doing it to make herself feel less shitty now that she has the baby. She’s never even told me she misses me or anything like that. She left me with my dad and never looked back.” JJ said. His throat felt tight so he took another hit. 

“Yeah, that’s really rough. Did you talk to her though? She might have changed.” Kie said softly, looking at him for his reaction. 

“Of course I talked to her. I fucking texted her all last night and she acts like we’re long lost friends or some shit. Actually, scratch long lost. She acts like we just saw each other. She might be off the smack but she hasn’t changed. Trust me. She’s not like your mom.” JJ said. 

Kie bit her lip and JJ could tell she was out of her depth. She couldn’t possibly understand. Despite her parents being asshole Kooks in JJ’s eyes, he knew they loved her and were there for her. He couldn’t say the same about either of his parents. They were never there for him.

“Look, Kie. I don’t think there’s a lot to talk about. My mom isn’t going to suddenly take me away and try to raise me or some shit. It’s not like what you have. At least I’ve got my dad. John B. doesn’t have anyone right now.” JJ shrugged.

“Ok, but I think that’s part of the problem. You’re always putting John B. first and that’s great, you’re a great friend. But all of your shit matters too, JJ. Just as much. And it’s important and I want you to know you can come to me or Pope when something’s bothering you instead of just self-medicating with John B.” Kie said, laying back down next to him. 

JJ didn’t answer and Kie reached for his hand. He let her hold his hand and ignored the weird feeling that came up. _It’s just Kie._ he thought to himself. He felt her looking at him and he turned his head towards her.

He became aware of how close their faces were and he could see each of Kie’s individual eyelashes and felt the need to move closer. He closed his eyes and leaned in. Their lips barely grazed for .001 seconds before she shot up. 

“Oh my god! JJ, what the fuck? No Pogue on Pogue macking! How high are you?” She said, looking at him like she didn’t recognize him.

He started laughing, he couldn’t help it. He was so glad John B. or Pope hadn’t just witnessed that. He didn’t know what had gotten into him, but it was kind of funny. He hadn’t thought beyond the fact that she was pretty and she was Kie and she was close to him. He was definitely high if he had just thought that was a good idea.

“Kie, what do you mean, what the fuck? You just held my hand and you were looking into my eyes and shit! I thought you wanted to see what it was like to try it with me. What was I supposed to think?” JJ said, sitting up onto his elbows and laughing some more. 

“That your fucking _friend_ was there for you during a tough time?” Kie said, but she was laughing a little too. “Oh my god, you’re going to tell John B. and Pope all about this, aren’t you?”

“No way. It’ll be our secret kiss. I don’t kiss and tell.” JJ said, smirking at her.

“Shut up. That was barely a kiss, JJ.” Kie said, pushing his shoulder. He fell back down onto the blanket and she laid next to him again. 

“Well, I’m feeling a lot better already, Kie. Now I have a romantic kiss to replay in my head when I’m feeling down. You just give me the sign when you want to try it again.” JJ said. He accidentally kicked his foot out and it knocked over her can of beer, spilling it all over his boots.

“You deserve that for being a dumbass.” Kie said, laughing at him again. “I’m sorry if you thought I was giving you some kind of signal though, JJ. Seriously, I’m sorry. I’m just high and you know I get more touchy feely when I’m stoned.”

“Oh my god, Kie. I’m not about to go cry over it, I promise. I’m just a horny teenage boy, you know. I can’t control myself when I’m with a beautiful girl.” JJ said, smirking at her. 

Kie looked at him as if deciding if he was telling the truth and he did a little wave with his hands to show her he was all good. 

“Same old, JJ. I still don’t want to commit incest, I’m just high.” 

Kie laughed at him. “That’s not really the right word but ok. Because you know I love you, but not in that way.”

“It’s totally the right word! Pogues for life. We can’t engage in sexual activity when we are the same species. I sound like Pope right now. You know what I mean. Besides, I think you kissed me, by the way.” JJ said.

“How did I kiss you? You literally leaned in and went for it!” Kie said.

“You don’t turn your head and look in someone’s eyes unless you want to mack on them, Kie.” JJ said, getting another beer. “Yum. Nothing better than a hot ass beer that’s been chilling outside for weeks.”

Kie finally stopped looking at him like she was trying to find something and changed the subject back to his mom. “Moving on like that didn’t happen. What do you think you’re going to do about your mom? How can I help?”

“By not talking about my mom after our special moment. Way to kill the mood, Kie.” JJ said, trying to distract her.

“There is literally no mood. I’ve seen you kiss Pope longer than that.” Kie said.

“Never on his lips though. They aren’t kissable like yours.” JJ said, making a kissy face and taking a hit from his blunt.

“JJ. I’m this close to dragging you to the Heyward’s and having us join in on whatever John B. and Pope are doing.” Kie said, glaring at him. 

“Ok, ok! Please no. Anything but that.” JJ held up his free hand to show he surrendered. “With my mom? I’m not planning on doing anything else. She wanted to make herself feel less shitty, she used me to do that, we talked, that’s it. Trust me, she doesn’t want more.”

“But do you?” Kie asked him.

JJ sighed and thought about it. He had always wanted more, he didn’t think that would ever change. Ever since he was a kid and he realized his mom wasn’t like everyone else’s mom. And when she completely moved to Florida and stopped even trying to reach him, he wanted her to remember to come get him more than anything. But now, he was starting to realize that maybe more wasn’t possible for them, as much as it killed him to admit.

“Yeah. But I don’t think it can happen when it’s one sided.” He admitted, looking away.

“I’m sure it’s not one sided. Maybe she’s just bad at apologizing and talking about her emotions.” Kie said.

“That would be part of where I got it from.” JJ said back. He sat up and grabbed his backpack. “Let’s go. I can’t talk about this anymore right now and I’m starving.”

“That’s not true, JJ.” Kie said, getting her backpack too. She must have recognized that he had reached his limit. JJ pretended that he hadn’t heard her. “And how are you starving? You had nine hotdogs and three funnel cakes.”

“I’m a growing boy. It goes right through me. And it’s the weed.”

Kie grabbed the beer cans and held them with one hand while going struggling towards the ladder. 

“You can leave those here, Kie.” JJ said as he crouched to follow her. 

“And have the wind blow them out in the woods and then sweep them into the ocean? No thanks.” Kie said as she dropped down onto the ground. She tripped and laughed.

She talked about the effect of cans on the environment as they got to his bike and walked it out back to the road and got on. 

“You know, Kie. I love it when your arms wrap around me and hold on. It’s more romantic than when John B. is back there, that’s for sure.” 

“Wait. We can’t drive this. You’re high.” Kie said, ignoring his comment and getting off.

“That’s okay. I love slow romantic walks with you just as much as bike rides, Kie.” He said.

Kie kicked him, hard. “JJ. Shut up or I’m gonna tell Pope about what really happened to his board in sixth grade.”

JJ had never shut up faster.


	8. No Big Deal

JJ and Kie found Pope and John B. at the Chateau, looking grumpy. Well, John B. was looking grumpy, sulking in the hammock. Pope was looking annoyed as he sat in the chair nearby on his phone. 

“Shit. That doesn’t look good. Told you he wouldn’t like his reward, Kie.” JJ said to her as they walked down the driveway. He put his bike’s kickstand down.

“Shit, they see us! Hide!” Kie said, giggling and pulled him behind a tree.

“What the fuck, Kie? Duh, they see us. We just walked down the driveway. Why are we hiding?” But he laughed too. The weed had definitely been the good shit. “Unless you want a round tw-”

“Do you really want to finish that sentence? Three words. Pope. Sixth Grade.” Kie threatened.

JJ giggled at the memory before slowly remembering how not fun it would be if Pope found out the truth. He nodded.

“Um, hello? We can hear you guys talking and see you. What are you doing behind the tree?” Pope’s voice called to them. 

JJ felt a chill go down his back at being found, even though he didn’t know why they were hiding. Pope walked around the tree and stared at them like they were crazy. 

He sighed when he saw them both biting their lips to keep their laughter in. 

“Kie, what the hell? We agreed on no weed for the day.” Pope said and Kie burst into laughter. 

“No, you agreed on that. JJ made a good point. Normal JJ always smokes. And you’ll be happy to know that we had a really successful day, weed and all.” Kie said, putting her arm around JJ. 

“Awesome. Well, I guess I should have just given up my morals and smoked a fat one with John B. because our day blew.” Pope said. 

The three of them walked over to John B. JJ tried to get into the hammock with him and ended up flipping it.

“I’m going to kill you, JJ.” John B. growled from the ground. 

Kie helped John B. up while JJ crawled over to the tree and pulled himself up. “Sorry, bro. How was your day?” He asked, trying to keep it light.

“Well, it wasn’t exactly riding roller coasters and eating funnel cakes, if that’s what you’re asking.” John B. said, sinking back into the hammock and kicking his legs out so JJ couldn’t try to get on again. 

“Did something happen?” Kie asked, sitting in the chair near Pope.

“You mean, did I get cornered for a therapy session by the entire Heyward family? No, nothing happened.” John B. said, scowling.

JJ winced. “Sorry, dude. If it makes you feel better, Kie did the same to me.” He looked at Kie and she laughed again. He couldn’t hold his in and giggled back.

“And you guys got high? I hate you.” John B. asked, rolling his eyes. 

“Kie? Maybe now’s a good time to tell them about stage two?” Pope suggested from where he stood near her chair. 

“No thank you. I already heard about this ‘stage two’ shit on the ferry today. I don’t want to hear more.” JJ said from his chair, leaning back. 

“Shut up, JJ. Tell me, Kie. It better be fair.” John B. said.

“First of all, this was all supposed to be fair. I’m sorry spending time with me is torture!” Pope said, looking fed up. 

“Hey, chill, Pope. I’m sure he doesn't mean it like that.” JJ said. “He just likes roller coasters.”

“I’m sorry my house isn’t a boardwalk.” Pope said back. 

“Alright, shut up you idiots. Here’s stage two. It involves a lot of fun shit with some talking mixed in. You guys in?” Kie said, and JJ could tell she was keeping it vague on purpose.

“What about school? How many times do we have to go? And what are our rewards?” JJ asked, eyes narrowed.

“Um, everyday? It’s school. We’ve created monsters, Kie.” Pope said.

“Shit. I don’t know all the details right now, JJ. But you know what? We’re all busy for Thanksgiving. But what if we go on a road trip over Winter Break?” Kie asked.

“Busy? With who? I literally have no one.” John B. said from the hammock. 

“I thought your Uncle T was coming for Thanksgiving.” Kie said. 

“Yeah right. Everything he says is a lie. He’s not coming back anytime soon. Especially not for some fucking holiday.” John B. was pissed and JJ went to his bag to get the weed out. That always helped him when he was mad.

“JJ, no. That’s not what he needs right now.” Pope said to him quietly. JJ shrugged, but listened.

“John B, I’ll be with you on Thanksgiving. It’s not like I ever have any spectacular plans. My dad won’t even notice it’s Thanksgiving. And if he does, he can fuck off to my aunt’s house” JJ said.

“Oh my god, that’s it. Both of you are coming to my house. And no, John B. My dad won’t care about today. Just shut up and show up. Bring a pie and it will all be good.” Pope said, shaking his head.

“Hey, I’m there. That was sick last year.” JJ said, smiling at the memory. “Remember when John B. said he was thankful to eat chicken? What a dumbass. Everyone knows it’s a turkey.” 

“I meant in general, JJ. I know it’s a turkey.” John B. said, but he almost smiled. 

“Sure you do.” JJ said back, just to get under his skin.

John B. reached his arm down and grabbed a handful of dirt, throwing it at JJ. The wind blew it and it went into Pope’s eyes. “Shit. Sorry, Pope.” He said.

“I’m out.” Pope said, shaking his head and walking away. “You coming, Kie? I can drive your car for you.” 

“Hmmm.” She said from her chair, eyes closed. 

“Kie’s on the dark side now.” JJ said. He tried to grab her hand and pull her up but she pretended to be asleep.

“Kie, your parents are gonna be pissed if you miss your curfew.” Pope said.

“I don’t care.” Kie said, eyes still closed.

“Kie, go. We don’t want your creepy ass dad coming in and breaking into my house again just to get to you.” John B. said. JJ barely repressed a shudder.

Kie giggled, most likely at the image of her dad breaking into John B.’s window but let JJ pull her up this time. 

“Bye Kie. You just let me know if you want mor-. Ow!” JJ was cut off when Kie stomped on his foot hard. 

“I don’t even want to know.” Pope said as he shook his head and went towards the car.

“You really don’t.” Kie said threateningly looking at JJ. JJ held up both hands to show he surrendered. 

“JJ, you want a ride or you staying?” Pope asked. 

JJ shook his head without having to think about it. He hadn’t been home in a week and a half and didn’t plan to tonight. He knew he needed to soon, but he just couldn’t get up the energy to face his dad tonight. Plus, he didn’t want to leave John B. alone.

“Okay. Well, please, please, please. We are begging you guys to use your best judgement tonight. Don’t get dangerously fucked up.” Pope said as he turned around. “Or I’ll take both of you to my house. To live. Permanently.”

JJ laughed because Kie was having trouble opening the car door. 

“You can do it, Kie.” He called to her. She flipped him off and got in and Pope drove them down the driveway. They could see Pope shaking his head and lecturing her as he drove.

“Sorry your day blew. Mine was alright though. I feel pretty good. I might even get up early tomorrow and go fishing down by the marsh. You want to? It might help.”

“Duh you feel good. You got to go on The Cobra and get high.” John B. said. 

JJ immediately felt guilty and sat in Kie’s abandoned chair. “Sorry dude. We’ve got cash if you wanna go tomorrow.” he offered.

“I’m just pissed about today. They were all over me.” John B. said, glaring at his shoes. “Want to get fucked up?” 

“Didn’t you hear Pope?” JJ asked, laughing a little. “Besides, I’m already fucked up. I think I just want to try to go easy for a little while.” 

“Why? Because Kie told you to? I’m not doing that.” John B. said, getting up and walking inside.

“I just don’t want to end up like my dad, bro. I’ll still smoke with you. But maybe you should cool it with the booze too.” He said as followed John B. inside.

“No, don’t tell me what to do, JJ. If you want to go and join the honor society with Pope, awesome. But I’m not going to change just because you had one good day out and decided to get preachy.”

“I’m not getting preachy, John B. Do what you want. I’m just saying, I’m going to cut back and it might make you feel better if you do too. You puking every night is getting old.” JJ shrugged and hopped up onto the counter, trying to pretend like John B.’s words didn’t hurt. 

“Says the guy who’s currently blazed.” 

“Different than drinking vodka alone.” JJ said, getting slightly annoyed.

“Oh, I’m alone? I thought you were here.” John B. grabbing a bottle from the counter and doing a big annoying show of looking around.

“Shut up. It’s alone if I’m not doing it too.” JJ said.

“Well, maybe I should be alone for real then.” John B. walked towards his room.

JJ rolled his eyes. “That’s depressing. Don’t you want to watch a movie or something?”

“Not with you.” John B. said, sticking his tongue out at him before walking out.

JJ held up his middle finger at John B., even though he couldn’t see it. He pulled out his phone and texted Kie and Pope that John B. was drinking alone in his room and went to the pullout. He didn’t even feel bad about reporting him to them. John B. needed help.

After an hour of watching some shitty made for tv movie, he got up and went into John B.’s room to find him, bored. 

“Alright John B, are you done having your little temper tantrum? Want to go check out the Boneyard?” JJ said. He froze when he didn’t see John B. anywhere.

“John B.?” He called, going to check the bathroom. “Fuck!” He said when he realized he must have snuck out the window. He was becoming way too much like him for JJ’s comfort. He missed the old John B. now more than ever.

He pulled out his phone and called him. “Come on, John B.” He said under his breath as he paced his room. The last thing the island needed right now was a drunk John B. wandering around alone. 

He wasn’t surprised when he got sent to voicemail. He hung up and kept calling him until he finally got an answer. 

“Fuck off, JJ. What’re you, my mom?” John B. slurred to him through the phone.

JJ decided not to point out that that comparison didn’t fit the situation and just said, “Where are you? You good?” 

“I’m meeting Madison at the Boneyard. Don’t wait up.” 

JJ felt more relaxed at that but then felt offended when he heard the dial tone. He hadn’t done anything to John B. so he didn’t appreciate being treated like some annoying little brother instead of his best friend.

He briefly debated with himself over whether he should call Kie or Pope next. He decided that Pope had probably dealt with enough of John B. related issues today and called Kie.

“Sup?” Kie answered after three rings. 

“You back to normal or are you still baked? It’s been like five hours, by the way so I’ll be really disappointed if you still are.” JJ said.

“Shut up. I’m all good obviously. What’s up? You ok? What happened with John B.?” Kie said. 

“He had a little temper tantrum and then I just went to check on him and he was gone. He snuck out of the window on me. On me! JJ! His best friend. I called and he said he’s meeting Madison at the Boneyard though, so I guess he’s good.” 

“He’s a mess, he’s not good.” Kie said back to him. Her voice was muffled and then he heard crunching.

“Are you eating chips while talking to me? Do you know how loud that is through a phone, Kie?” He asked her.

“I’m starving! What do you expect me to eat?” Kie said.

“Some fancy organic shit or whatever it is rich people have in their kitchens.” JJ said back.

“We eat the same food as you peasants, JJ.” Kie said. “Anyways, what do you want to do? Do you want to go to the Boneyard and check on him? I can sneak out.” 

“You’re such a rebel, Kie. I mean, I think he’s good. I don’t want to go check on him like some kind of crazy ex.” JJ said. 

“Yeah, I guess we should just let him cool off. Pope told me some of the stuff that happened today. He probably needs space. I’ll text Madison and see how he is.”

“Ok. I mean as much as I would love to sneak to the Boneyard and peek out from behind trees with you, Kie, that’s probably a better plan. If you want to get me alone in the woods again though, just ask. You don’t have to pret-”

“Shut up, JJ.” Kie cut him off. 

“Whatever you say, Kie. My wish is literally your command.” 

“It’s “your wish is my command.” Kie said.

“Aw, that’s so sweet. I won’t give you any commands though because it’s the 21st century and women have equal rights.”

“Oh my god. I’ll text if I hear anything.” Kie asked. 

“Me too. Should we update Pope?” JJ said.

“He had enough John B. duty today. We’ve got this.” Kie asked.

“Alright. Goodnight, stoner. Sweet dreams.”

“Goodnight, JJ.”

* * *

JJ had turned off the lights and tried to go to sleep around one, feeling weird being alone at the Chateau. He didn’t want to seem like he was waiting up for John B., but he was. He gave up eventually, bored and exhausted from getting up early. Kie hadn’t texted, so he assumed everything was good and John B. was just staying over at Madison’s. 

His phone rang at 1:30 and he answered it on the last ring, not able to pry his eyes open or speak. 

“Uncle T?” He heard John B. say.

“Huh? Uncle T?” He managed to say back. He tried to open his eyes and remember what day it was. 

“I fucked up. Can you come and bail me out? I’m at the sheriff’s station and I need five hundred for bail.” John B. continued on.

“Wait, what? What the fuck are you talking about, John B.? This is JJ. Are you being a dick and playing a prank?”

“No, Uncle T. I know it’s serious. I’ll see you soon. It’s five hundred. And no, it’s not a prank. Sorry.” John B. said, changing his tone. JJ sat up and it clicked that John B. was actually at the sheriff’s station and needed bail money. 

“Oh shit. Ok, I’ll be there soon, bro. Even though I don’t think it’s gonna work without an adult.” JJ said, getting up and putting a shirt on.

“See you soon, Uncle T. Thanks again.” John B. said before JJ heard the dial tone.

“Shit.” JJ said to himself, trying to get his jacket and call Kie at the same time. He went into John B.’s room and went to their secret hiding spot, getting the money out. Thank god they had robbed those Kooks. Otherwise John B. would be screwed.

“Ugh.” Kie’s voice answered. “What.” 

“Code red, Kie. Wake up. John B.’s been arrested or taken in or whatever. He called me to bail him out. I have the money but I don’t think I’m gonna be able to get him. He’s going to need an adult. But I’m gonna go try.” JJ said, walking to get his keys. He shoved the money into his pocket. 

“Shit! What? What did he do? Shit! We should have gone looking for him! We suck. You can’t bail him out, JJ. Let me get my parents.” Kie said.

“No, Kie! Your parents hate him anyways. Let me just try first. I just wanted to keep you updated.” JJ said, scowling at the thought of her dad. “I’ll say his uncle got drunk and had to send me or some shit and see if it works.” 

“That’s not gonna work, JJ.” Kie said. “I’m calling Pope. Maybe Heyward can go?”

“Let me just try, Kie. Don’t call Pope yet.” 

“Fine, but let me know as soon as you figure out what you guys need. John B. is such an idiot. Is he ok?” Kie said. JJ could tell she was awake now.

“He sounds fine. I guess he just did some stupid shit. I’ll call you as soon as I know.” 

They said bye and JJ got on his bike, driving down the dark roads to the station. He was glad he hadn’t smoked more tonight so he could drive there. 

He took a deep breath before going inside, feeling nervous even though he wasn’t the one who had been arrested. He sure as hell had done enough lately to be on their radar.

“Can I help you?” The officer at the front desk asked him, raising her eyebrows at him.

“Yeah, I hope so, ma’am. So I’m staying with my friend John Routledge because my parents are out of town. I’m staying with him and his uncle. And he called and said he needed to be bailed out. So his uncle was going to come out here but he started to feel a little sick. We got into the car anyways because he’s a warrior, but he got really sick and had to send me instead. I’ve got the bail right here though.” JJ said, pulling out the cash and pushing it towards her. 

“What? Hang on. Who are you to him? This isn’t a store, you can’t just pay for him. He legally has to be signed out by either a parent/guardian or another adult who has permission. What’s your name?” She said, looking at him like he was crazy.

“I’m his friend, but his uncle sent me since he is sick. He gives permission and everything, I promise.” JJ said, trying to think of a fake name he could use if she asked for his again.

“Yeah, so we can’t accept a random kid giving us the money. He’s going to need to come in here and sign him out and pay his bail or he’s going to need to call here and give us verbal permission for another adult who can.” She said, pushing the money back at JJ. 

“Shit- I mean, shoot. He’s just so sick. He could barely talk. He went to sleep already.” JJ said, not willing to give up on John B. so easily.

“Sounds like he needs a hospital and you need another adult.” She said. “One of your parents can sign him out too if he says that's ok. Just have him call and we’ll be good to go.”

“Please. I don’t want him to have to stay here all night.” JJ pushed the money back towards her. 

“My hands are tied. Just go tell him what we said and he can be out as soon as we get the permission.” She said. “You really shouldn’t be out this late anyways. How old are you? You need a ride home? One of our officers can drive you.”

“No, no, I’m good. I rode my bike. It was real close.” JJ said, backing up and heading to the door before this could go any further in that direction.

He went outside quickly, cutting off what she had been saying and pulled out his phone. He called Kie and explained the situation. She agreed to go to the Chateau to find Uncle T’s number. It was their only choice. He waited outside in the shadows, down the street from the station and waited for forty long minutes before his phone rang. 

“Ok, problem solved.” Kie said.

“What? How? What’d you do?” JJ asked, standing up and looking towards the station as if John B. would miraculously appear.

“Well, John B.’s going to be pissed. But Pope and I had already anticipated this. Heyward called his uncle and he got permission so he’s on his way to bail him out. We said you’d meet him with the money, but he said he didn’t want it.” 

“Shit. He’s gonna hate that. I’m gonna wait by the door so I can give Heyward the money anyway. John B. will hate if he owes him money.” JJ said, running a hand through his hair. 

“Well, maybe he shouldn’t have been a dumbass. He needs help, JJ. He’s never done stuff like this alone before.” Kie said and he could tell she was upset. 

“I know Kie. But still. He’s having a hard time.” JJ said, walking towards the station. “I think I see Heyward. I’ll text you, okay?” 

“You better.” She said before hanging up.

“JJ, what in the hell? You shouldn’t be out here at this time of night, son. What’s going on with you two? Come in and I’ll give you a ride home too.” Heyward said as they met on the steps.

“I’m staying with John B. My dad’s been out of town.” He said quickly. “I have the money.” 

“First of all, _I_ have the money. Y’all are kids. And John B.’s going to work it off at the store. His uncle agrees, so end of that discussion. Second of all, I just saw your dad down by the convenience store earlier today. So either you’re lying or he’s back now and you should be at home. Not out worrying about bail at three in the morning.” Heyward said, opening the door to go into the station.

“Shit. Are you sure that was him? My phone’s been broken. I guess he came back early.” JJ said, stomach sinking at the thought of going home. “I’ll stay with John B. tonight anyways, though. To make sure he’s good.”

“It was your dad. Didn’t look like he was coming back from anywhere other than a long stay on the couch, if you know what I mean. And it’s not your job to make sure John B.’s good. I told his uncle I would keep him tonight. And from what I’m seeing and hearing I’m about to keep you too.” Heyward said. 

JJ faked a laugh. “No, I’m all good. Just being a good friend is all.”

Heyward gave him a look before discussing the process with the same officer JJ had dealt with. They sat on the bench together waiting for John B. after he had filled out the forms and paid the bail. JJ had tried to give him the money again but he had pushed it away.

JJ pretended to be really interested in tying his laces to avoid any conversation.

“You two were staying alone together for how long? We all could have predicted this. And he was just over at our house today. Should have never let him go.” Heyward said to JJ. JJ didn’t know if he wanted an answer or not, but he felt like he needed to smooth over his image of what had been happening.

“Just two days. His uncle is coming back really soon too.” JJ said, doing a double knot on his other shoe just for something to do.

“He told me he wouldn’t be back for at least a week. And where’d you get that kind of money you’ve been flashing?” Heyward said, giving him a look. 

“We save up.” JJ shrugged. 

Heyward opened his mouth to respond when John B. came out. He looked rough. When he saw Heyward, he immediately glared at JJ.

“Alright, you all are free to go. I don’t want to see you again.” The officer who brought John B. out said to him.

“I don’t want to see you either, trust me.” John B. said. 

“Hold on. That’s disrespectful, son. You’ll learn fast where that will put you.” Heyward said to him.

“I’m not your son.” John B. said to him. JJ looked between the two of them, surprised at John B. but not wanting to pick sides. He didn’t know what had happened earlier or why John B. was even at the station. But he had never heard him talk to Heyward like that before. He wanted to get him alone to get the details out of him but knew it wasn’t going to happen tonight. 

“John B, come on, bro.” He said, trying to get him to chill out. 

“Shut up, JJ. Thanks for nothing, by the way.” He said. JJ felt hurt, but shrugged it off, trying to keep his irritation at bay. 

“That’s enough. It’s three in the morning. Y’all can have your little hissy fits tomorrow morning. Let’s go.” Heyward said, gesturing for them to follow him. 

Once outside, John B. walked towards JJ’s bike and JJ stopped, not sure who to go with or what to do. As much as he wanted to just go back to the Chateau with John B., he was sure Heyward was not going to let that fly. Especially since he had just come and paid a lot of money in the middle of the night to get John B. released. 

“Uh-uh. I don't think so. I told your uncle you’d stay with us tonight. And JJ, I’m dropping you at home. You can put your bike in the back of the truck.” Heyward said. He walked over to his truck, clearly used to Pope who listened to directions. 

“What the fuck, JJ? Did you even try to get me out yourself? I’m gonna owe Heyward now.” John B. said as soon as Heyward was farther away. 

“I did! I came here with the money and tried everything. They said it had to be an adult. Kie got your uncle to approve Heyward. There was literally nothing else we could do. Stop being a dick. You’re lucky it wasn’t Kie’s fucking dad.” JJ said, getting angry. As if he wanted to be forcibly taken home in the middle of the night by Heyward. He hadn’t even done anything. 

“Let’s go, boys. Y’all are really pushing the limits now. It’s three in the goddamn morning.” Heyward called to them. 

“Come on, John B.” JJ said as he took a step over to Heyward. 

“No, I’ve had enough of Heyward. Give me your keys.” John B. said, reaching in JJ’s pocket and grabbing his keys before he could stop him. “Let’s just dip.”

“John B, what the fuck is wrong with you? It’s gonna make it worse. Just go with him for tonight. I’m not exactly happy to go home either. But he’ll just hunt us down.”

“Whatever, JJ.” John B. said as he got on the bike and turned it on, driving off as Heyward yelled after him. JJ wished he had gotten on with him, but didn’t want to make the situation worse for Pope or Heyward. He did feel bad for him, coming all the way here. 

“What the hell? What’s going on with him?” Heyward said, walking over to JJ. “You boys have clearly been on your own way too long. Now, I know the situation with his dad. And his uncle promised he’d be back soon. What’s up with you? And I want the truth. Is your dad home or not?” 

“He’s just worried about his dad. My dad? You said you saw him. He must be home.” JJ said. His phone dinged and he looked away.

“I thought your phone was broken? Seems peachy to me.” Heyward said to him. 

“It works on and off.” JJ said as he followed Heyward to his truck.

They got in and he scooted as close to the window as he could out of instinct. 

“Seatbelt on or we ain’t moving.” Heyward said to him. 

“Lame.” JJ said, rolling his eyes. He put it on anyways.

“Where we goin? You coming with me or you wanna go home?” Heyward asked as he started the car and backed up. 

JJ really didn’t want to go home, but he also really didn’t want to raise any red flags. “Home is good.”

“Alright. But if your dad isn’t there I’m stealing you.” Heyward said, driving towards his house. That sounded good to JJ, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

They talked about Thanksgiving and the store on the drive. JJ could tell Heyward was exhausted and felt guilty. He probably had to be up in two hours. By the time they got to his driveway, JJ was a bundle of anxious energy, bouncing his knee and tapping his fingers on the side of the door. He couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief when he saw that his house was dark and his dad’s truck was outside. His dad was sure to be passed out.

“It looks like he’s asleep so I won’t walk you up, but next time he’s ‘out of town’, you come and stay with us, you hear me? John B.’s going through enough, his uncle’s got a lot on his plate too and we’re happy to have you.” Heyward said to him. 

“Aw, that’s so sweet.” JJ joked as he popped the door open quietly. “I know where Pope gets it from.” 

“Careful, you little punk. I’m not too sweet. I can have you working with John B. too.” Heyward said. 

JJ smiled and closed the door as quietly as he could before waving over his shoulder. Heyward didn’t back out so he assumed he wanted to make sure he went inside. He cursed to himself since he was planning on going in through his window. 

He went up to his door and cracked it open before tiptoeing to his room. As he passed the living room, he saw his dad passed out on the sofa. He resisted his instinct to check if he was still breathing and went into his room, putting a chair under his door just in case. His dad had a second sense for when he snuck in.

He texted Kie and Pope back and tried calling John B. but got no answer. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

The next morning, he got up when he heard his dad banging around. He stood up and listened for a few minutes, before deciding to just rip the bandaid off and check in with him. He wasn’t yelling, which was a plus. Not that it meant he was in a good mood.

“Dad?” He called out. His dad hated being snuck up on. Even though JJ lived there, he had gotten in trouble enough for not announcing himself to have learned his lesson. 

He didn’t receive an answer, so he hesitated in the doorway. His dad had knocked over a beer can and was trying to wipe it up. “Dad, I’m here.” He said again. His dad looked up and JJ was surprised to see some fading bruises on his face. 

“Where the hell have you been?” Luke said to him without any real anger.

“I’ve just been staying with John B. You know, since his dad’s missing.” JJ said, staying in the doorway.

“What are you talking about? I saw Teddy last month. He ain’t with him?” He asked him. 

“Wait, you know his Uncle Teddy?” JJ asked, confused.

“Duh. Your fucking mom cheated on me with him when you were in Kindergarten or some shit. He was the same hippie asshole when I saw him as he was then.” Luke said. JJ frowned, shook by the news. He didn’t know he had almost been brother-cousins with John B. He made a mental note to ask him about that later, as embarrassing as it was.

“Ok, well, yeah he hasn’t been staying with him. That much, I mean.” JJ said, trying to get as far away from the topic as he could. 

“Clean this shit up, will you? I’m late for work.” Luke said to him, throwing the rag across the room to him.

“Work? Where are you going?” JJ asked before he could stop himself. His dad never had a schedule when he worked with the smugglers. Only a deadline. He wondered if it had to do with the bruises on his face.

“To the salvage yard. I’m done with the smuggling shit. We had a little disagreement and I quit.” He told JJ. “Bobby needs help on Sundays if you want.” He offered as he walked past him to his room.

JJ was both relieved and nervous when he heard the news. He was glad that shit was finally behind them, but was nervous because his dad had been making a lot of money and had become pretty dependent on coke. He wouldn’t transition back to his old lifestyle well.

JJ went to see if there was any food while his dad was changing. He checked his phone and decided to go with his dad since John B. still hadn’t answered and because he could always use the money. He was honestly kind of tired of fucking around all the time. He texted Kie and Pope that he would check on him later.

They were driving in the car together when JJ realized he had misread his dad’s mood. He instantly regretted going with him when he dropped an earth shattering bomb on him. 

“Your mom really contact you or was she lyin?” 

“What?” JJ asked, freezing and looking over at his dad. He had no idea how his dad would have any idea about that. He had no idea they even had contact.

“You think you’re cute? Don’t ‘what’ me. You heard me.” Luke said, looking back at him.

“My mom?” He asked again, struggling to catch up.

“That’s what I said.” 

“Um..I mean she called me a few days ago but we just texted a little bit one time. No big deal.” JJ said, choosing his words carefully.

“No big deal...as if you weren’t crying over her just last month.” Luke said meanly.

“I wasn’t..” JJ said, scowling a little bit at the reminder.

“So she abandons you for years and you take her back, just like that, huh? Even after she replaces you with that new kid?” Luke said.

“She didn’t replace me. And I didn’t take her back, it was one conversation.” JJ said, more to reassure himself. His hand subconsciously went to the door handle even though they were going too fast for him to get out. 

“Didn’t replace you? Where is she right now? Where has she been for the past six years?” Luke said.

JJ stayed quiet, biting the inside of his cheek as he turned to look out the window.

“That’s what I thought.” Luke said as they turned into the salvage yard. “Well, she’s telling me she’s coming up here soon to see you and shit. But she didn’t say when. Probably too hopped up on speed to even know what month it is. We’ll see if she shows.”

“She said she was clean since she knew she was having the baby.” JJ said. He didn’t know why he was defending her. 

“You believe that? Having a baby never stopped her from getting high before.” Luke said, as if JJ didn’t already know that.

“I don’t want to see her, Dad.” He felt sick at the thought and was terrified of what would happen if she came near Luke. He had nothing but horrible memories of their violent fights growing up.

“I don’t care. You’re always crying about her. If she shows up, you see her so I don’t have to hear another word from anyone about me keeping you from her again.” 

JJ resisted saying that he had only cried about her near his dad maybe twice in six years. And that his dad was high or drunk basically every day so he had no leg to stand on. The only difference between his mom and his dad is that his dad hadn’t physically abandoned him to get high. He did that shit right near him.

They were waved through the gates when they got to the salvage yard and Luke got out, greeting one of the guys. JJ forced himself to take a deep breath before slipping out and joining them, already planning how he could avoid what sounded like the messiest and most traumatizing situation possible.

* * *

“John B? Rise and shine, sunshine!” JJ called as he went into the Chateau later that day. 

“It’s four o’clock, JJ.” He heard John B. say. He followed his voice and was unsurprised to see him in bed. 

“Then act like it, bro. Some of us have been hard at work all day while you’ve been sleeping.” 

“Hard at work? What’d you do? What’d you steal?” John B. asked, not looking up from his phone.

“Nothing. I worked at the salvage yard. The one where my dad used to work. He’s working there again.” JJ said.

“Lame. You go home for one day and you already had to do one of your dad’s grimy little jobs?”

“I wanted to. But seriously, what’s wrong? What happened last night? You were totally rude to Heyward by the way, dude.” He said, trying to stay calm. He was starving, had been up all night and had some new family drama of his own to deal with. He was tired of John B’s attitude. 

“Yeah because he’s not my dad. He was calling me son all day yesterday, trying to give me advice and shit. I don’t like it.” John B. said back.

“Hello? It’s a term of endearment. It doesn’t mean he thinks you're his actual son, dumbass. He came to get you at three am and paid your bail.” JJ said back. His phone buzzed and he saw that Kie and Pope were on their way with a pizza.

“It annoys me. I didn’t want to go there yesterday and he was the last person I wanted to see last night.” John B. said, getting up and walking out to the porch.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have gotten arrested.” JJ said. “What’d you do?”

“Literally nothing. Madison and I needed somewhere to go and we snuck into some Kook’s pool and they called the police. She got away but they caught me.” John B. said.

“Rookie mistake, bro. You went there while they were home?” He asked. 

John B. picked up JJ’s bong and started to prep it without answering. 

“Wait, don’t smoke. We’re going surfing with Kie and Pope after they bring pizza.” JJ said.

“Stop telling me what to do, JJ! As if you don’t smoke every single day. I know you smoke in the morning, too. And you think I have a problem? Look in the mirror, bro.” John B. yelled at him.

“Enough with the attitude, _bro_! We’re all trying to help you and you're not listening to anything! What the fuck are we supposed to do? I’m trying and you’re not even trying!” JJ yelled back. He saw Kie and Pope pull up and he cursed his timing. 

“My fucking dad is missing, JJ! I have no one! Who cares what I do and when I do it? What part do you not get? Nothing is going to be okay or get better until he’s back. I’m sorry if I’m not handling it well. I’m sorry you have to take time out of your precious day to check on me. But stop acting like you’re doing well!” John B. yelled.

“Woah, what the hell is happening? JJ?” Kie asked as she walked up the steps onto the porch. JJ saw Pope following behind with a pizza, looking like he didn’t want to come in.

“Fucking JJ! He keeps lecturing me and telling me to slow down and all this shit. He’s just as messed up as I am! I’m tired of it. All of you can just go back to your lives and leave me alone! I’m not some project you need to work on!” John B. yelled at Kie.

“No one thinks you’re a project. We’re just trying to help. We’re worried about you. And no, we aren’t going to stop and we aren’t going to leave you alone. Pogues stick together.” Kie said to him.

John B. sat down on the sofa, putting his face in his hands. Kie went and sat next to him, rubbing circles on his back. Pope put the pizza down and gestured for JJ to go over to his other side. JJ gestured for him to go and Pope rolled his eyes before walking over. 

“Look, John B. I’m sorry yesterday didn’t help. We know you miss your dad. We’re all just worried about you.” Pope said. 

John B. had clearly started crying so JJ went over too. “I’m sorry, dude. We need to do more to try to find your dad too. Honestly, smoke as much as you want. I shouldn’t have preached to you. I should have been right there with you, hit for hit.” 

Kie and Pope both looked up and made a ‘what the hell’ face at him. He shrugged. He thought it was a good thing to say.

“We’ve got two more days of school and then we’re off for Thanksgiving break. Why don’t we go check in with Peterkin then and see if there have been any developments with your dad? Maybe she’ll tell you more if you go there?” Kie said.

John B. was silent for another minute before he wiped his eyes and said, “Yeah, that’d be good. Thanks guys. I’m sorry I’m such a dick. I don’t mean to take it out on you. Sorry, JJ.” 

“It’s cool, man. I’m here for you, no matter what.” JJ shrugged as he opened the pizza box. He pushed down his own anxiety and problems with his parents and put on a happy face for John B.’s sake. It always helped when he had something to help someone with or distract himself with. “Let’s eat.” 

“Seriously, Pope? You did not put pineapple on it.” Kie said as she pulled a piece out. “Gross.”

“Hey, you said ‘whatever’ when I asked what kind.” He defended himself.

“No complaints here. I’d even eat the box right now. I’m starving.” JJ said. “Are we surfing after this? I need to know if I should hold back or not.”

“Don’t hold back. I want to whoop your ass.” John B. said.

“So you admit that’s the only way you can be better than me? If I’m fat from pizza?” JJ asked, happy that he seemed semi-normal again.

“No, I’m just saying it would be funny tryin-” John B. started to say.

“I’m in the running for the merit scholarship I applied for.” Pope blurted out, cutting off John B. They all looked at him.

“Huh?” JJ said through a mouthful of pizza. 

“What? That’s awesome, Pope!” Kie said. 

“Alright, Pope!” John B. said. Pope was looking at them all nervously. 

“Sorry, that was bad timing. But I meant I can’t surf tonight because I need to study. I need this if I want to have a chance at going to college.”

“Congrats, Pope. Who knew playing with dead bodies took so much hard work? You’ll totally get it though.” JJ said when he realized what he meant.

“It’s not playing with dead bodies, JJ. But thanks.” Pope said.

John B. mouthed “He’s totally playing with dead bodies.” to JJ and he laughed, spitting up some pizza. A chunk of pineapple hit Kie in the face.

“Thanks for that, JJ. I really appreciate it.” Kie said, throwing it back at him. 

“Gross, Kie. I thought you had manners.” JJ said, throwing it back. It hit John B. in the face instead. 

“Ew. If I get chlamydia from you, I’m not going to school tomorrow.” John B. said as he threw it at Pope.

“That’s not how you get chlamydia, dumbass. Pay attention in health class.” JJ said.

“So you admit you have it?” John B. said, laughing at JJ. 

“No, I admit you’re a dumbass.” JJ said back. 

“Both of you are dumbasses. And both of you are going to school tomorrow. We have two days this week and then break.” Pope said, smiling and rolling his eyes. 

“Let’s negotiate. One day and then break?” JJ said.

“No.” Pope and Kie said in unison.

“Go both days and I’ll make sure you get extra pie on Thanksgiving.” Pope said. Kie looked at him. “What?” He asked.

“You literally just told me not to negotiate with them!” Kie said. 

“Deal!” JJ said immediately. 

Kie slapped Pope on the arm.

“Ow! What was that for?” He said.

“For telling me I created a monster when you literally just did.” 

“It’s just pie, Kie. They’re already bringing one. So they’re bringing their own reward.” Pope pointed out.

“What? Wait, what? So it’s not a reward?” JJ asked. 

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out, JJ.” Pope said.

“You cool, John B.?” Kie asked, noticing he was silent again.

He shook himself and looked at them. “Oh yeah, I’m cool. Thanks again for putting up with me. I know I’m a dick.”

“But you’re our dick.” JJ said. 

“Gross.” Pope said, laughing at JJ. 

“You know what I mean, Pope.” JJ said.

“Not really.” Pope said, just to annoy him.

“Pogues for life, John B. We’re not going anywhere.” Kie said.

JJ clung to that more than they knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there's been SO MUCH JOHN B! At least it feels like it to me. The next chapter will be more balanced. I know he was a total dick to JJ (and Heyward and Pope) and JJ just accepted it, but in my opinion that's how their relationship can come across.
> 
> JJ is still really not doing well, but he does a good job disguising it when he's with his friends or when he can focus on helping one of them.


	9. Spiraling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a chunk of (traumatizing) family drama for JJ in this chapter, since his mom comes to visit. I'm sorry, but it has to happen for the sake of the story. The next chapter will be happier, I will make sure of it!

The day before Thanksgiving, Kie and John B. went to the sheriff’s office to talk to Peterkin. They had all decided that Kie was the best one to go with him, since JJ was too much on her radar to willingly get into close proximity with her and Pope was busy getting ready for Thanksgiving with his family. 

JJ let himself into the Chateau and threw himself down on the couch, pulling out his weed and waiting for Kie and John B. He had barely slept the night before, having been kept awake all week, thinking about what his dad had said about his mom coming. He felt anxious all the time now, except when high or with his friends.

John B. and Kie returned after a few hours, JJ high on the couch, barely noticing that the tv had been stuck on the static channel. He had gotten a blunt ready for John B. after getting a thumbs down emoji from Kie. He knew it hadn’t gone well and was ready to focus on that and help him through it.

He heard the car and tried to act like he wasn’t waiting, sinking down into the cushions and putting his feet on the table. He left John B.’s blunt on the tray where he would see it. John B. walked in first, walking towards his room, not seeming to notice JJ. Kie followed him into the house and gave JJ a look that he knew meant John B. had had a meltdown.

“How’d- um- how’d it go?” He asked. Kie shook her head at him and he realized he shouldn’t have asked. He fumbled to fix it. “I mean, are you ok?”

John B. stopped and turned towards him. JJ could tell he had been crying in the car. “They gave up. They think he’s dead. They said it will be a few more weeks before they want us to sign the death certificate” He said, his voice cracking.

JJ reached down and grabbed the blunt, holding it out to him. “Fuck them. It’s a good thing we haven’t given up. We’ll just have to start investigating ourselves. We’re gonna find him, John B. We won’t stop until we do.”

Kie didn’t say anything about the blunt so JJ assumed it was a good idea. John B. came over and took it, putting it behind his ear. “Thanks, bro. It means a lot. I keep getting worried that you guys are gonna give up too.”

“Never.” JJ promised and Kie put her arm around John B.

“Seriously, thanks. I’m gonna save the blunt. I’m meeting Madison at Rixon’s, so I’m gonna go change. I’ll see you guys later. Thanks for going with me, Kie.”

JJ resisted the urge to look at Kie since that was how John B. had ended up getting arrested a few nights ago, but stopped. “Okay. Text us when you’re free. I’m sleeping here tonight.” John B. waved over his shoulder and walked towards his room. 

“Kie, want to go surfing?”

“You’re high as a kite and it’s like forty degrees outside.” Kie replied.

“So, yes?” JJ asked.

“So, no. Give me some of what you had, share the love.” She said, laying down next to him and grabbing his rolling paper. “Oh also, Pope wanted us to meet him soon to discuss the situation.”

“Come on, Kie. I can’t handle another kiss right now if you get high and give in to your desires. My heart is broken enough from everything else.” He tried to joke, but it ended up falling flat. He looked away.

“Are you okay? Did something happen? Is it your mom?” She asked, looking over at him for real when she noticed how depressed he sounded.

He did what he did best when high and lied. “I’m good, except for this Big John shit. It’s depressing. But I’m down to go bother Pope and see if he can help.”

Twenty minutes later, they found themselves parked at the end of Pope’s street, waiting for him to meet them. He had texted them to meet him down the street from his house, claiming that if they came too close, his mom would suck them into her Thanksgiving cooking crew. JJ thought that sounded fun, but Kie wanted to avoid it so they had all agreed to meet here instead. 

“So how’d it go? Anything positive to report?” Pope asked Kie as he walked up to them, trying to untie what was clearly one of his mom’s aprons.

“Nice apron, bro. Purple is totally your color.” JJ joked.

“JJ, shut up. No. And he didn’t take it well at all. Not that I blame him. She said the case will stay open for another few weeks before they’ll ask his Uncle T to sign the papers. John B. freaked out and said they wouldn’t sign anything. He broke down in the car. I’m worried.” Kie said. 

“I don’t blame him. Fuck the cops. They haven’t really even been looking.” JJ said, pulling out his vape.

“We don’t know that, but it’s been awhile, JJ. It’s really hard to look for someone in the ocean. I don’t think the funding is behind it as much as if he’d been a Kook.” Pope said. JJ saw him look at Kie and he knew they thought he still believed he was alive.

“That’s fucked up. So if we were fucking rich, we could find his dad? And I know what you both are thinking. And I agree. I think he’s dead too now. It’s been too long.” JJ said, looking away and swallowing the lump in his throat.

“I know it’s fucked up, JJ. I don’t want to go down that path either, but I agree. It’s been a long time. I think if he was alive, he would have been found or contacted John B. by now.” Kie said.

“Agreed. There’s been no sign of anything. If he had been hurt somewhere and no ones found him yet, the chances are low of survival.” Pope added. 

JJ felt a pain in his heart at the thought. “So, we’ll help John B. keep looking, obviously. And we’ll just keep pretending for him and go along with what he wants. Is that the plan?”

“Yeah. I don’t think it’s going to help to go against him or say anything otherwise. He’s not doing well and if he needs to believe he's alive to feel better, let’s go with that. I mean, I really hope we’re wrong.” Kie said. 

Pope froze and turned to look over his shoulder at the sound of tinkling bells. “Damn, I’ve got to get back. See you tomorrow, JJ. Don’t forget the pie. Kie, we’ll see you Saturday?”

“Wait, did your mom just summon you with bells? What is this, _Little House on the Prairie_?” Kie asked, laughing. 

Pope blushed and turned around. “She’s got me and three of my cousins locked in there. I’m lucky it was just the bells. She has a bullhorn, too.” 

“Damn. That’s rough, Pope. Mommy’s got you on cooking lockdown.” JJ said, even though he thought it was the opposite of rough. It actually sounded nice and made his heart ache a little. Especially with what was happening with his mom.

“Yep. See you tomorrow. Text us, Kie.” He said as he walked away.

“I’ve got to go too, JJ. We’re leaving late tonight to avoid traffic. Where do you want a ride to?” Kie asked, walking them back towards her car.

“John B.’s, baby.” 

“Don’t call me baby. Unless you want me to kick your ass.” Kie said as they got in. 

“Message received, ma’am.”

* * *

JJ ended up waiting up for John B, not able to help it after what had happened just a few days ago. He texted him around eleven and told him to get more beer from Madison’s brother since they were almost out. When he got home, they drank together and fucked around, both clearly depressed and both going back to ignoring it for the other’s sake. John B. didn’t question it when JJ drank half a thing of tequila he had convinced his cousin to buy them and he didn’t question when John B. drank the other half.

They both woke up puking an hour apart the next morning; JJ off the side of the hammock and John B. inside in the bathroom. JJ was glad Kie and Pope were both busy with their families and couldn’t see that he had slipped already. 

They rang the doorbell at Pope’s two hours late for Thanksgiving, JJ balancing a plastic cup full of stale donut holes and some chips they had bought at the gas station on their way. They had eaten the pie by accident sometime during their night last night and the only place that was open was the Seven Eleven so they had had to buy the next best thing to bring.

“Get in here, you dumbasses. If I had known you would have so much trouble getting a pie, I wouldn’t have told you to get one. We have like eight in here already. I just said that so you had a job.” Pope said, rolling his eyes and stepping back for them to enter. 

JJ dropped the cup of donuts and the top popped off. The three of them watched them bounce and roll around before John B. laughed stupidly. 

“Uh-uh. Tell me you didn’t actually get high before coming to Thanksgiving? With my family!” Pope groaned, looking at them closely to check for signs of whether they were or not. 

“Just a little, Pope. Sorry, we both felt like shit and needed a pick-me-up. No one will notice though, I swear.” JJ said, bending over to pick up the donuts and putting one in his mouth. 

“No- JJ, don’t eat that. And literally everyone’s gonna notice! I’ll have to find a place for you both to sit where no one will talk to you too much. Try to act normal.” Pope answered, walking them towards the living room.

“I barely act high! I am normal.” JJ said, offended to be put in the same group as John B., who laughed at everything when he was high.

“Yes you do _and_ your eyes are all red. But everyone is already eating, so let’s just grab lots of food and sit near my grandma. She has dementia and won’t notice.” Pope replied. 

“Aw, she has dementia? Why doesn’t she go to the dentist?” John B. asked.

“It means her memory is going, John B. God, you are an idiot.” Pope said as he dragged them over to the food table.

“Hi boys! We’re so glad you could make it!” Pope’s mom said from the main table. She got up and came over to hug them both. JJ tensed up but then relaxed after a second, hugging her back. Pope had an awesome mom. He wondered if he knew how lucky he was. He saw her noticing a faded bruise he had on his jawline from his dad the other day and he turned his head more to hide it.

Heyward got up too, probably wanting to reassure John B. after the weekend and Pope made a nervous noise about him being so close to them when they were high.

“What kind of pie did y’all bring?” He asked, looking at their hands as if one would magically appear.

John B. laughed, probably thinking about last night and they all looked at him. JJ stepped on his foot. “We had a little mix up with the pie, Heyward. But we brought some donuts and chips! Hope that’s cool.” JJ answered.

“Damn.” Heyward said, looking disappointed.

Mrs. Heyward gave her husband an incredulous look. “Of course that’s cool. You just needed to bring yourselves. We have eight pies already, boys. Go help yourselves and sit wherever you want. We’re just happy to have you.” 

Pope quickly piled food onto their plates before dragging them over to a corner spot near his grandma and great aunt and shoving them down. “Be right back. I just need to go get my plate and then I can babysit you.”

John B. and Pope’s grandma hit it off, probably since they both had as much of a clue as each other about what was going on. JJ saw Heyward looking at John B. across the room as he did his loud, obnoxious, stoned laugh and he warned Pope as he walked past him to the kitchen to put his plate away. Most of Pope’s family had headed outside to play football so it was quieter inside now and John B. would be more obvious.

He noticed the large stack of dishes in the kitchen and he dodged Pope’s cousins to start washing them, saying he would play soon, but he was gonna help first. He had no intention of playing football, knowing he and John B. wouldn’t be able to help much anyway. He felt slightly guilty leaving all of those for the Heywards and figured he could help them out a little after bringing just some shitty donuts and chips.

“You’re such an angel! You don’t have to do that, JJ.” He heard Pope’s mom say as she carried in more plates. 

“I want to, Mrs. Heyward. It’s the least I can do to thank you for inviting us.” He said, sucking up and making a mental note to tell Pope that he had been called an angel by his mom.

“I won’t say no to some help! But just for a few minutes and then we’ll go back out and get some pie.” She said. He smiled at her and she patted him on the shoulder before joining him.

“So how are you, sweetie? How’s school been going for you?” Mrs. Heyward said.

“I’m good, Mrs. Heyward. Pope’s been helping me keep up with everything as usual.” JJ said as he helped her rinse them off. 

“That’s good. He said you were having a hard time with some of it. I’m glad he’s helping.” She said. “How’s your dad? Where’s he spending Thanksgiving?” She added.

“He’s good. He’s working a lot. He’s at my aunt’s house, but I wanted to spend it with John B and make sure he was good.”

“You’re a good friend, JJ. Where’s he working nowadays?” She asked. Her tone had changed a little. JJ knew she didn’t like his dad, even if she was too polite to ever say anything. 

He always got nervous talking about him with an adult who was asking for certain reasons. “The salvage yard. He likes it.”

“That’s nice. I’m glad he does. Do you want me to take a look at that bruise? It looks like it hurts, sweetie.” She said, making it clear that she thought it was suspicious.

“This? No, I’m okay, Mrs. Heyward. Pope can tell you all about it. We were surfing and he fell off his board and it smacked me right in the face.” It pained him to make them sound like rookie surfers, but he needed her to get away from the thought of his dad.

“I’ll ask him about it. Poor baby. You let me know if you change your mind.” She said as she squeezed his shoulder.

“And how’s our friend John B. doing?” She asked. “I know he’s going through a lot. He was pretty upset over the weekend. He seems off today, too. We’re all worried and just want to help him.”

JJ almost laughed at her describing John B. as “off”. That was one way of putting it. “He’ll be okay. He’s got us. And I bet they find his dad real soon.” 

“We’re all hoping so. You want to help me bring out the pies for everyone? I know Pope’s tired of helping me. You get to pick the first piece if you do.” She said, walking over to the counter where all of the pies were waiting.

“Totally. Pope doesn’t know what he’s missing!” JJ said, happy to help.

“You know how it is. No teenage boy likes to help their mom around the kitchen.” She said, before catching herself when she realized he didn’t have that problem. “Oops, I’m so sorry, JJ. I didn’t mean to say that. I just meant-”

JJ cut her off. “No, it’s totally fine, Mrs. Heyward. I get it. Pope’s really lucky to have you. Hey, can I have pumpkin and apple?” 

She reached out and rubbed circles on his back for a second and he looked away, feeling like he wanted to cry and not quite sure why. “You can have as much as you want. Grab those two and let’s put them on the table out there. You boys need to come sit with us, too!” She called as she walked out balancing three pies on each arm.

JJ picked them up and rushed back over to John B. and Pope as soon as he had put them on the pie table. “Code red. Your mom wants us to have pie with them at their table, so our cover is about to be blown. Thanks a lot, John B.”

“Shit. I’m confused about why John B. isn’t good yet. He usually peaks after an hour, but he just tried to drink his water with a spoon.” Pope said to JJ.

“I'm good.” John B. said, tripping as he tried to get up. 

“Shit. I don’t know. John B, act normal.” JJ said, grabbing his arm. 

They got up and got pie before joining Pope’s parents. John B. was nice and friendly to Heyward so JJ kicked him under the table to get him to actually apologize like they had discussed, but ended up kicking Heyward by accident.

“I know you weren’t aiming for me. Cause you already forgot my damn pie and that would just be too much.” He said to JJ.

“Sorry, sir. I was aiming for John B.” He said.

“Here, I got it.” Heyward said. John B. grunted and JJ laughed. “That’s for running away from me the other night. Don’t scare me like that again.”

“Or me.” JJ added.

“Or me.” Mrs. Heyward added.

“Say “or me”, Pope.” JJ told him.

“Why? You all already said it enough.” Pope complained. JJ glared at him and kicked him under the table. “Or me.” He said, kicking JJ back.

“I’m sorry, seriously. That was messed up of me. I know you all are just trying to help. It won’t happen again.” John B. said, looking at Heyward. “And I’m sorry about the other day too, Mrs. Heyward. I was rude as shit...I mean rude as anything.” 

“It’s okay, sweetie. We just want you to be okay.” She said, squeezing his arm.

“It better not happen again. And we still want you to come over for dinner at least once a week, like we talked about. Whether your uncle is home with you or not. You too, JJ. You little punks have too much time on your hands.” Heyward said.

“I’m there. Will there be pie?” He asked, getting up to get another piece.

“If you’re bringing it.” Heyward responded.

Pope stood up with him, pulling John B. to his feet, happy to get away from his parents without them noticing that they were high.

“And next time you come, make sure you ain’t stoned. Or I’ll have all of you working for me. Then we’ll see how much time you have to get high.” Heyward added as they turned to walk away.

“Shit. How’d you know? I’m undetectable.” JJ said, honestly curious.

“ _You_ almost are, except for your eyes. Your friend has been sitting here eating pie with a knife and pouring gravy all over it.” 

“Damn it, John B. Sorry, Heyward. It won’t happen again.” JJ said, looking for Pope and rolling his eyes when he saw he had already abandoned them to get more food. 

“I know it won’t. Or I’ll have two new employees, like I’ve been threatening for all these years.”

“Copy that.” JJ answered, laughing when Heyward rolled his eyes.

* * *

It was Saturday when JJ’s life spiraled completely out of control again.

He had just walked down his driveway after messing around with Pope and John B. out on the water all day and was planning on getting some more clothes before heading back. They were planning on going to the Boneyard later that night since Kie was getting back and he wasn’t planning on coming home for the rest of the weekend if he could help it. 

He slowed down when he saw an unfamiliar car in front of his house and debated going in through his window. It wasn’t weird for his dad to have his friends come and go, but they weren’t always nice and he didn’t really feel like talking to one of them. He went in anyways, tired from the day and not feeling like shimming in through his window. 

He opened the door and his heart shot through his chest when he saw his mom sitting on their sofa, his dad leaning against the table with his arms crossed. He felt his blood run cold and he wanted to turn around and leave, but couldn’t, frozen in place.

“Hi, baby! Look at you! You’re so big now. And so handsome. I love your hair. You’ve always been my little surfer dude.” His mom said, getting up from the couch and walking towards him. He took a step back without thinking about it and then forced himself to stop, remembering how mad that had made her last time he had seen her. He didn’t remember ever being her little anything, all he remembered was her yelling at him that he was in the way and ignoring him.

JJ noticed that she looked healthier than she had last time, although that had been a blur. She didn’t seem high, not that that meant too much. He found it hard to look at her, since she was both so unfamiliar and familiar that it hurt. She looked happy enough, which bothered him deep down, even though he knew it shouldn’t. It hurt to think that she was happy living her life without him.

She noticed him back up and seemingly rethought a hug and reached out to run a hand through his hair instead. He flinched a little and he could tell she noticed. She dropped her hand after a second and turned to his dad.

“He still looks like me, doesn’t he? That must drive you crazy.” She laughed. His dad shifted and looked at JJ. JJ immediately could tell he was high, his pupils dilated. But if he didn’t know any better, he would think his dad looked worried. 

“Yeah, and he’s just like you too. Always lying and stealing shit. Getting high and fucking around.” 

“Please. As if you aren’t high right now. That sounds more like you. I'm clean.” His mom said, walking over to her purse and getting her keys out. “Ignore him, JJ. I’m gonna go get something I brought for you from the car. I can’t believe I forgot it!” 

“You’d know all about ignoring people don’t you? You ignored him for six years. Shit, more than that. You never paid attention when you were here.” Luke said.

His mom walked towards the door, flipping him off over her shoulder. As soon as she was out the door, his dad stood up and went towards him, grabbing his arm and pulling him over to the table with him.

“Why didn’t you answer your fucking phone?” He asked him.

“It died. Dad, I don’t want to do this. Can you tell her to leave?” He said back, surprised by how wired his dad was. He seemed nervous, which put JJ even more on edge.

“Shut up. It doesn’t matter. You think I want to see her either? She’s already here. I’m not dealing with court. You’re seeing her so she shuts up about it and stops saying I’m keeping you from her.” Luke said, sitting down on the edge of the table and crossing his arms.

JJ’s mind raced at the word court. He had no idea if his mom had brought that up or if his dad was just guessing, but that terrified him. His dad was no angel, but moving to Florida was one of his nightmares. Especially with his mom and her random boyfriend and baby.

He twisted his hands nervously near the table where Luke was leaning and took a deep breath, taking his hat off and flipping it around before putting it back on, trying to calm down. His hands were shaking slightly. He was thinking about if he had time to make a break for it when he felt his dad’s hand on his shoulder, making him jump. 

His dad pulled him towards him for a second in his version of a hug before letting go and saying, “I’m not gonna let her take you. Stop worrying.”

JJ hadn’t been worrying about her actually taking him until his dad said that. His heart rate immediately shot up even more. He knew that was his dad’s version of reassurance, but it didn’t help in the least bit.

He looked at him, deciding to try again while he could. He knew his high wouldn’t last long. Coke always caused fast mood changes for him. 

They saw his mom walking back towards the house and JJ said. “I don’t want to see her. Why don’t I get a say?” He said. 

“Just shut up, you stupid shit. Just talk to her and she’ll leave soon. She’ll get tired of faking it.” 

JJ’s face burned at being called stupid, even though no one else was around to hear it and he sat next to his dad on the edge of the table when she came in, not wanting to be near her. At least his dad's anger was familiar.

She stopped for a second when she saw them together before faking a smile. “Ok, come here, JJ. I got you this.” She held out a small photo album.

He didn’t move and she shook it again so he would get up and get it. His dad shoved him a little. “Go. You deaf?” He said. JJ got up and went towards her.

“You’re an asshole, Luke. Don’t touch him. Here, JJ. It’s a photo album.”

JJ took it and didn’t open it, walking back to his dad. He saw annoyance flash over his mom’s face at their proximity again, but she covered it up. “Look inside! It has pictures of you as a baby. Your Mimi found them at her place. And then I put some of me and the baby in it so you can see him. He wants to meet you.”

“Thanks.” JJ forced himself to say, opening it and flipping through before stopping on a picture of his mom and the new baby with some random man. He assumed it was her boyfriend and his stomach clenched. They looked happy.

“Maybe he doesn’t want to meet your baby. He was all upset when he found out you were having one. Crying and shit. Feeling all replaced.” Luke said.

JJ’s face burned at the revelation. He didn’t want his mom to know that. He couldn’t tell if his dad was trying to help him out or embarrass him. Probably both.

“Shut up, Luke. No one’s being replaced.” His mom snapped. JJ closed the album and put it down, tensing up. He knew what happened when his parents fought and he wanted no part in it.

“Well yeah, because to be replaced you would actually have to be wanted in the first place.” 

JJ stood up and tried to leave the house. He couldn’t handle staying for another second, listening to this. Luke stopped him and pushed him back down. “You’re not going anywhere.” He said to him before turning to his mom. “See? He doesn’t even want to see you. Just spit it out. Why are you here and when are you leaving?” 

“Fuck you. If you would just let me take him out, he and I could actually talk without you fucking interrupting us.” 

“Nah.” His dad said, smirking at her.

“As if you’re an angel. You’re a piece of shit alcoholic. I’d get custody in a second if I called the police and showed them this shithole.” She said back. JJ bounced his knee up and down rapidly, trying to calm down, focusing on a spot on the floor.

“Try it. Let’s see you even try to be a mom. He'd be back here in a week or less. I’m surprised you still have the other kid.” Luke said. JJ wanted nothing more than to escape the room and get high as shit.

“You know what? Shut up. I’m going to talk to my son and ignore you.” She said, turning to JJ. “So tell me what’s been new with you, baby. How’s school? What have you been up to? Still surfing? Working?” 

JJ opened his mouth to answer, hoping it would speed up the visit, but his dad cut him off. 

“School and work? He doesn’t do shit all but fuck around and smoke weed all day.” Luke said from his spot on the table. If he hadn’t been so miserable, he almost would have laughed. It seemed his dad couldn’t decide between insulting him and standing up for him.

“He’s a fucking teenager, Luke. What else would he do? Let him fucking talk. How’s school?” His mom asked, and JJ’s anxiety increased, anticipating his dad’s rage. His dad was definitely not used to anyone arguing with him about JJ. He felt a slight sense of gratitude towards his mom at the same time. It did feel good to have someone defend him to his dad for once. 

“It’s good. My friends and I are competing in the Easterns next year so we practice for that a lot.” He said, focusing on her and trying to ignore his dad next to him.

“Oh, what’s that? Is that some team for school?” She asked him.

“No, it’s a surfing competition. It’s like the biggest one on the East Coast.” He said, looking at his dad out of the corner of his eye. 

“Yeah, you’re looking at me because you know you don’t do shit. He doesn’t even go to school. That’s why he’s always failing. He got that from you.” Luke said.

“Can you give us five minutes without fucking interrupting? Leave him alone.” His mom answered.

“You know what? If you leave after those five minutes, then shit. I’ll leave right now.” Luke stood up.

“Deal. Anything to get a minute without you fucking interrupting.” His mom agreed.

Luke walked out of the room and JJ wanted to get up and follow him, not wanting to be alone with her, but figured he could survive five minutes. He was still holding onto the hope that his mom would apologize for abandoning him with no contact.

“Thank god. Now that he’s gone, we can actually talk. Let’s sit over here.” She walked to the sofa and JJ slowly followed, sitting on the opposite end.

“So, listen. I wanted to see you because I wanted to catch up. I know we haven’t talked much the past few years.”

JJ’s mind was racing. His mom was delusional. ‘Haven’t talked much’ must be code for ‘not at all’. She abandoned him repeatedly with his dad to get high and bounce around with different guys. She never once called or visited.

When he didn’t say anything she continued on, “I’m all clean now, like I told you. And I was thinking maybe you would want to come and stay with me? I know I haven’t really been around much for you, but I want to change that. I know it must suck being stuck with your dad.”

JJ freaked out. The thought of being ripped away from his friends and the island to start fresh with her because she had decided she wanted it was too much. She probably thought she was saving him, when in reality she should have never left him there in the first place. He focused on the anger he felt and pushed down the anxiety enough to say, “You never even called me once.” 

He also felt the need to defend his dad, despite everything he had done to him over the years. At least he hadn’t abandoned him. He knew he loved him, too. “Dad never left me.”

He saw annoyance flash over her face briefly before she tried to conceal it. “I was using and your dad is a dick. He’s hard to deal with and it was easier to leave you with him until you were older. I was waiting until you had a phone and I was clean. I’m just asking for you to give it a try. I thought you’d be excited to leave him.”

“He loves me.” JJ said. “He didn’t abandon me.” He felt his adrenaline pumping and he stayed focused on his anger.

“Oh, please. He only loves himself. He’s a piece of-”

“Time’s up. You can get the fuck out of my house now.” Luke interrupted, leaning against the doorframe to the living room. JJ wondered if he had been listening the whole time.

“Fuck you, let us finish. That wasn’t five minutes.” She answered. JJ stood up and hovered, not knowing where to go. He took a step away from his mom and towards his dad. Luke walked over and grabbed his arm and pulled him over to him.

“He’s been being raised by me and me alone in case you’ve been too cracked out to notice.” Luke said. JJ didn’t know how he said that with a straight face when he was currently high.

“Well, I’m here now. He can choose who he wants to be with.” She said. JJ bit the inside of his cheek so hard, he tasted blood. He didn’t want to have to make a choice and say anything out loud. He just wanted his mom to disappear again so he could pretend this had never happened. Or to give him some time to get used to her being in contact again.

“He’s not going anywhere with you.” His dad shot back. He was squeezing the life out of JJ’s arm and he could tell he was worried, which made him even more anxious.

“Shut up, Luke. He’s sixteen, he can go where he wants to. He doesn’t have to get your approval.” His mom said.

“I’m fifteen.” JJ spoke up, wanting to get out of the room, but needing to correct her on such a basic fact. His heart was racing and his thoughts were spinning. He would have left the room if it wasn’t for his dad’s grip on him. 

“See? Your own mother doesn’t even know how old you are-”

“You’re an abusive asshole, Luke. Shut the fuck up.” His mom said. “He can pick who he wants to be with. JJ, what do you want?”

“It isn’t his crackhead whore mom.” Luke said, dropping his arm and stepping towards her. JJ bit his lip, not knowing how to help, other than to say what he knew his dad wanted to hear to calm him down.

“I was asking JJ.” His mom said again.

JJ spoke up before it could escalate further. “I just want to stay here for now.”

His dad gave his mom a triumphant smile. It was the truth, but he still felt sick, having to choose. His dad was familiar territory and being with him meant his life would stay the same. His mom was unfamiliar, unpredictable and lived hours and hours from everything he knew. 

“Fine. You want to be just like your daddy? I won’t call you and try to work on shit anymore. At least I can say I tried.” His mom said, standing up and walking towards the door. 

“Real nice. Mom of the year.” Luke laughed.

“Fuck you. Thanks for ruining this and wasting my fucking time, you piece of shit.” She said, grabbing the door and pulling it open.

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, bitch.” Luke said. His mom picked up one of his dad’s boots that was by the door and threw it at him. It almost hit JJ instead and he ducked out of the way just in time. It hit the wall behind him.

The door slammed behind her. Luke almost immediately turned to JJ and shoved him, hard, into the table. He stumbled and hit the corner of it, tripping a little before he caught himself.

“Are you fucking stupid? You want to go live with her and her fucking junkie boyfriend? You barely said shit.” He yelled at him.

JJ snapped. He had done the best he could in the situation and now he had probably lost any chance of ever reconnecting with his mom again. He thought he had said more than enough.

“I told her no! I didn’t even want to see her! It’s not my fault she came here!” He yelled back, knowing it wasn’t a good idea to talk back, but past the point of caring. 

His dad slapped him hard across the face and his head snapped to the side. He breathed hard before grabbing his backpack and leaving the house, deciding that he didn’t need his other stuff from his room. If only he hadn’t come back in the first place, he could have avoided it all.

He took a diversion to the treehouse, climbing up and smoking until he could barely think, drinking the beers they had left up there before climbing back down once it was late, almost falling halfway, heading for the Boneyard.

* * *

“Where have you been?” Pope demanded when he finally found them at the Boneyard. John B. was wasted already, standing on a log and telling some story loudly, falling off occasionally and getting back on. Kie waved at JJ from where she was sitting with some of their friends and he tried to lift his arm up to wave back, but it felt like lead.

“Huh?” He asked Pope, turning to look at him. He knew his mouth was hanging open and that that was a dead giveaway that he was high so he tried to close it.

“Oh my god. How high are you? How many fingers am I holding up?” He asked him, leaning in to look at his face and holding up three fingers.

“What’s wrong?” Kie said as she walked over. 

“Nothing’s wrong. I’m good. How was the trip?” JJ said slowly, looking towards Kie.

“Stop. You’re not good. What happened? You look like you were crying. Was it your dad?” Kie asked him. JJ was glad it was dark and they weren’t able to see the bruise that had probably formed from his dad earlier.

“No. And I wasn’t crying. I’m not some stupid kid.” JJ said, before proceeding to break down crying. Kie and Pope pulled him into the shadows closer to the trees so no one would see.

Kie hugged him and he felt Pope join in. “It’s okay, JJ. We’re here for you.” She said.

He felt like he couldn’t stop crying once he started. The pot had dulled his thoughts, but his emotions had come up and couldn’t be pushed down. He felt like he had been abandoned by his mom all over again and everything felt so raw.

“What’s wrong?” He heard John B. say. He tried to stop crying, not wanting anyone else to notice and turned his back on them, using his t-shirt to wipe his face. 

“Was it your fucking dad?” John B. pressed when he turned around. 

“Just shut up, okay? It wasn’t my dad. Not everything is about him. I’m fine.” JJ snapped, walking over towards the keg.

He heard them all arguing with each other as he walked away before they followed him. He chugged a beer and filled up his cup again. 

“Take it easy, JJ.” John B. said.

“Are you kidding me, bro? _You_ are actually telling _me_ to take it easy? After these past few weeks? Fuck off.” He said, walking away from him and going over to their friends, working on pretending he was all good. He was always best a faking it in a big group.

An hour later, he was drunk, retelling a dramatic story loudly with John B. to their friends. If he hadn’t known any better, he would think John B. was having the time of his life. But he knew his fake laugh from a mile away, just like he knew John B. knew his. They were both good at disguising their feelings like that. 

He felt a little less high and a little too much of something else, so he stopped talking and started heading towards the keg to get another beer. He stopped mid step when a full cup of beer was launched from ten feet away and hit John B, pouring beer all over him. 

They all looked over and saw Rafe, Topper, Kelce and some other Kooks laughing at them. JJ walked over immediately to go fight them and John B. joined him. Kie and Pope groaned before joining them too.

“You gonna apologize or do I need to make you?” JJ said as they got closer.

“Apologize for what? I was just passing him a beer. He should thank me.” Rafe said, walking closer to them too.

“I won’t hesitate to beat your ass, Rafe.” JJ said. Kie put a hand on his shoulder but he ignored it. 

“You won’t? That would be great. We could add that to the police report. Along with grand theft auto from last month.” Topper said. 

“Shut up, Topper. There’s no police report, you stupid dick. We don’t know what you’re talking about.” John B. laughed. 

“There’s about to be one if you come any closer. Let’s see how long either of you last in juvie.” Rafe said, smirking at them.

“No one’s going to juvie. Rafe, you’re too old anyway. Why are you even here?” JJ asked. “Apologize to John B. I thought Kooks had etiquette.”

“I’ll bet you $100 you’ll be in juvie within the next year, JJ. Oh wait. You’re too poor to even bet with. Have you ever even seen a hundred dollar bi-” Rafe was cut off by a red cup sailing through the air and spilling beer all over him. 

A war began and JJ and John B. both launched themselves at Rafe and Topper. Kie and Pope tried to pull them back, but JJ was yanked back by Rafe, slowed down from the weed and thrown to the ground. Pope came out of nowhere and tried to pull Rafe off of him, but was held back by Topper. Rafe punched JJ in the face before he was able to kick him off and punch him back. John B. took on Kelce and Kie grabbed Topper, pulling him off and helping Pope. 

JJ got on top of Rafe, not caring if half of his punches didn’t even make it to him since he was high, channeling all his rage from earlier towards Rafe.

“JJ, stop! Get off of him! JJ, let go of him!” He heard Kie saying as she pulled him off. Rafe took advantage of the distraction and grabbed him, flipping their position and slamming him down into the sand before kicking him in the stomach. He reached for something and felt a stick. He threw it into Rafe’s face, kicking him off of him when he was distracted. He got to his feet and kicked Topper, grabbing John B. He saw one of their fancy phones lying in the sand and he picked it up and threw it into the bonfire, not feeling bad for a second. 

They all got free and ran off together, ignoring the yells behind them. 

“Why? Why does this always happen to us?” Pope said, panting when they stopped. 

“It doesn’t always happen to us, Pope. Like twice a year.” John B. said, laughing when he looked back at the Boneyard and saw the chaos that was still unfolding.

JJ leaned over and threw up, dizzy from his high and the fight. “JJ! Can you at least try to aim away from us?” Pope said as he jumped out of the way.

“Shit. Sorry, Pope. It just came up. We need to thank whoever threw that cup at Rafe. They deserve a purple heart for their service.” 

“You’re welcome.” Pope said, smirking.

“No way! Pope! My man!” JJ said, putting his arm around him and laughing. “Way to get in there!”

“Pope’s gone wild.” Kie said, putting her arm around him too. 

John B. opened his mouth to say something, but held up a finger and threw up instead. 

“Gross. Glad none of Kie and I’s plan had any effect. You’re both still puking and feeling like shit.” Pope said as he jumped out of the way.

“Relax, Pope. I feel better now that that shit went down.” JJ said. “Punching Rafe always fixes everything. At least for a little bit.”

“Yeah, are you okay, JJ? He punched you hard.” Kie said, looking at his face. 

“He punches like a Kook. I’m good.” He said. It did hurt, especially on top of what his dad had done earlier, but he wasn’t going to admit that.

They heard someone yelling about calling the cops and looked over. “Let’s go.” Pope said, pulling on them. “I can’t be seen here if someone calls the cops. I’ve got my scholarship to worry about.” 

“Nerd.” JJ said, but followed him down the beach in the opposite direction, not wanting the cops to come near them either. 

“Yeah, it’s really nerdy not wanting to go to juvie. I’m sorry I don’t strive to be on America’s Most Wanted as my life goal.” Pope said back, shoving JJ.

“Hey, it’s a solid goal. I’d look better on a wanted poster though. Your hair wouldn’t even fit on the page.” John B. said to JJ, giving him a noogie. 

“You’re all idiots. Stage two starts tomorrow.” Kie said to them. Pope fist bumped her.

“Yeah, right. Once we get you high, Kie, you’ll forget all about this. You’re on our side. The fun side.” JJ said to her, too slow to get out of the way when she reached out to push him.

“Y’all need help.” She said, but she laughed and helped him up.

Two hours later, JJ was laying on the pullout, trying to sleep, unable to ignore his racing thoughts. He could hear Pope and Kie both snoring from the porch where they were sleeping and he resisted the urge to smoke again, knowing they would wake up.

He was kept awake by his thoughts and his anxiety about what had happened, worrying that he had made a mistake and lost his mom forever. He wished he had had notice that she was there. He wished he had been able to slowly ease into talking to her instead of being made to choose all or nothing. 

He felt the need to go somewhere and get out of the tight space of the living room and crept out through the front door, walking all the way to the beach. 

He couldn’t stop thinking about his mom, his heart aching. He stared at his phone all night, hoping she would call or text and say she hadn’t meant it. He had almost called her a few times but gave up, telling himself to try to pretend it had never happened. 

He felt himself spiraling all over again and couldn’t bring himself to care. After a few hours of staring out at the ocean, he got up and walked back to the Chateau. He went into John B.’s room and laid down next to him, like they used to when they had sleepovers as kids.

“You ok?” John B. mumbled, eyes closed. He scooted over to make room.

“No.” JJ admitted, voice cracking. John B. didn’t say anything but he scooted back over until their arms were touching again. 

“Me either.” He whispered back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a little personal to me, in terms of JJ's mom. But with JJ having Luke as his dad, he has the worst case scenario, beyond what I can imagine. Luke is abusive, in every way. But he does love JJ. He doesn't know how to show it, but he also doesn't want to lose him, so I hope that showed through.
> 
> JJ and John B. will actually hopefully turn a (slight) leaf soon, although it has to be realistic so it's going to continue to take awhile.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	10. Project Kie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nasty rumors are spread about Kie and that is just not going to fly.

“You know I get a list of your missing assignments through the honor society, right? As part of the tutoring program? How can you have forty-seven missing assignments? What the hell, JJ?” Pope said as he walked up to him at his locker at the end of a very painful school day. He had only been back for two days since break but it felt like two years. 

“Give me a break, Pope. I need to get back into the rhythm of the educational world again. Besides, most of them were just bullshit assignments. I bet they’re optional.” JJ said, waiting until Pope had opened his locker to throw his book inside. 

Pope caught the book midair and shoved it back at JJ. “Give you a break? You’ve had nothing but a break for the past month. Scratch that. For the whole school year. You’re taking all of these books home. And you’re coming with me to the store and we’re gonna do work.”

“Come on, Pope. Only nerds carry textbooks off school property.” JJ complained. 

“I don’t care. I’m trying to get my scholarship. Forty-seven assignments is going way beyond my role. Forgive me if I don’t care about your image right now.” Pope said, turning JJ around and shoving books into his backpack. 

“I just felt my soul leave my body and go surfing.” He said as Pope closed his backpack for him.

“Shut up and let’s go. You’re welcome, by the way.” Pope said, slamming his locker closed and walking ahead of him. Pope had been more wound up then ever the past two days now that he knew he was in the running for his scholarship and while it was kind of funny, JJ also felt guilty for adding stress. 

“You know I appreciate you, man. I just also appreciate not going straight to more school after school. Especially when I could be surfing.” JJ said as he followed him.

Pope didn’t answer, too busy texting. They got a ride to Heyward’s from Jaden, one of the only one of their friends to have his license already and a beat up car to go with it. He worked right near Heyward’s and gave Pope a ride most days. 

After thanking Jaden, the two of them went into the store and Pope shoved JJ into the back room. “I have ten minutes to get you started before I need to be out there.”

“Okay, okay. Jesus.” JJ said as he barely moved his hand out of the way when Pope slammed his math book onto the table. 

“Start with Math since you can do that on your own. Kie’s coming to help you with English and then we can do History when I’m done.” Pope said, throwing a pencil at JJ before looking at what assignments he needed to do.

“You cool, Pope? Did something happen?” JJ asked. Pope was way more keyed up than usual. He usually got excited when they worked together. As weird as it was. JJ knew Pope loved doing work so this was even weirder.

“Everything’s happening! We’re sophomores, JJ. I have to have perfect grades. I have to do extracurricular activities. I have to work at the store. I have to help you and John B. It’s like everything is happening all at once. And I can’t make any mistakes or there’s another kid ready to take my spot.” Pope said, opening JJ’s notebook and shoving it across the table at him. 

“Ok, woah. First of all. You’re like the smartest person I know. And definitely the smartest person in our grade. So you don’t have to worry about someone replacing you. Second of all, if it’s too much to work with me, I can do it on my own. Seriously, dude. You’ve been helping me for years.” JJ said, feeling guilty.

“No! It’s not that. You know I’ll always help you. It’s just a lot of pressure. From everyone. But especially from my dad.” Pope said. 

JJ could relate to a certain extent, his dad put pressure on him sometimes, but in a totally different way and definitely not about school or his future. 

“It’s gonna be fine, Pope. You go and I’ll breeze through this math shit.” JJ said, picking up his pencil.

Pope nodded and left to go start his shift. JJ dropped his pencil as soon as he was out the door, texting Kie and John B. about Pope. 

They both shot down his idea to sneak him pot brownies. They didn’t have any suggestions other than him doing his work so Pope would have less to worry about. He made a face at his phone and tried to focus on his math homework. 

Fifteen minutes later, he heard a camera click and looked up, rolling his eyes when he saw Kie in the doorway. “Had to take a picture as proof.” 

“Shut up, Kie. And by the way, pot brownies fix everything.” He said. “Now please help me. I’m drowning here.” 

“He doesn’t smoke, JJ. We’re not going to go against his moral code and sneak him weed. And no can do. Pope said English. Not Math. Math you can do on your own, you lazy shit.” 

“Oh, I’m lazy? I’ve been slaving away for an hour in here already.” JJ said.

“It’s literally been fifteen minutes since you texted. Your paper is blank.” Kie pointed out. 

“It’s hard to focus. Especially now that you’re here.” JJ said, winking at her.

“Shut up. What about your medication? Do you still take it? Does it help?” Kie asked, putting down her backpack and pulling out her books. 

“It helps but I don’t really take it anymore. I was having problems getting it between refills so I just stopped.” He admitted. He left out the part about his dad stealing it.

“Problems? Like you couldn’t get it in time?” Kie asked, opening her book and looking up at him.

“Um, yeah. And problems with the doctor, I think.” JJ lied.

“That sucks. You should talk to your school nurse. Maybe she can keep it at school.” Kie said, before frowning at her phone when it buzzed.

“You good?” JJ asked her.

She didn’t answer right away, looking at something. 

“Kie?” He asked again. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” She said, shaking her head a little, before putting on a fake smile. “Just some school shit.”

“Let me know which Kooks I need to beat and when.” JJ said.

“No, thanks. Let’s keep you away from them after last weekend.” Kie said to him. “Now let’s go. Chop chop.”

“Wait, what’s my reward if I do this?” JJ asked, lowering his pencil when he realized he could spin this.

“Um, how about you get to keep Pope alive? So he doesn’t die young from a stress heart attack? Does that work as your little reward?” Kie asked.

“Alright, fine. That’ll work just this once. Only because he does look close to that.” JJ said.

“Let’s not make it a reality.” Kie said. JJ agreed and got to work, as much as it pained him.

* * *

While most people would assume JJ didn’t pay attention or notice things, he knew he was observant. It had been a necessity growing up with his dad. He learned to notice everything, down to the smallest details so that he knew what kind of mood his dad was in, how he should act around him and when to stay away or when he could stay around.

When he became friends with John B., Pope and Kie, it was second nature for him to learn what their expressions, tones and words actually meant. He could tell when they were faking something and when they were lying. He could tell when they were happy, sad and anything in between.

So from the second Kie was weird on her phone, JJ had started paying more attention. He knew it wasn’t just some Kooks from school, but something more. 

It had only been a week, but she was hanging out with them less, making up excuses about homework and tests and work. JJ wouldn’t have thought anything of it, if he hadn’t seen her being weird the other day. 

When she did come over, she was sad. She hid it well, but when she wasn’t talking or when she thought they weren’t paying attention, her face fell and she would check her phone constantly. JJ had forced them all to go surfing when it was freezing out, just to get her away from whatever was happening on her phone.

It wasn’t until he was on Instagram and saw what he assumed was just one of the pictures causing the change in Kie that he finally found out what was happening and it pissed him off into another dimension. 

It was a picture someone had taken of Kie and the three of them together at the Boneyard. JJ had no idea who had taken it or when, but they were all having a (slightly embarrassing and most likely drunk) group hug. And honestly, it wasn’t the picture that bugged him at all. It was what they were taking from the picture and saying about him and his friends. 

The comments were calling her a whore and a slut it had been shared with what seemed like the whole Kook Academy, claiming that she slept with all three of them and that she hung out with them because she had no friends at school.

He immediately decided to hold back on talking to her about it, filling in Pope and John B. instead so they could plan their revenge. 

“Alright, I’m here. What’s so urgent that I had to leave my homework? And shut up, JJ. Yes, I know how that sounds.” Pope said as he biked up to the Chateau after school on a Wednesday.

“It’s about Kie.” John B. said, sitting up in the hammock and spitting into the dirt next to him. JJ knew he was pissed, but he also knew that John B. was pissed about a lot and was more ready for revenge now than he normally would be because of it.

“Yes, you idiots said that already in your text. Spit it out. My homework isn’t going to do itself. Shut up, JJ.” 

JJ smirked and closed his mouth before opening it again to fill Pope in.

“So, I’m just laying around, scrolling through Insta. And I see some unknown douchebag piece of shit Kook from Kie’s school sharing some photo. Of us.” He paused so Pope could react.

Pope raised his eyebrows and waved a hand, motioning for him to hurry up and keep going. He stayed silent for a second just to annoy him.

“JJ, spit it out.”

“I was giving you time to react. Sorry for being a courteous story teller, bro.” He answered.

“JJ. I’m about to leave. All of this that you’ve said so far could have been texted.” Pope threatened. 

“Ok, ok! So this douchebag shares this photo of us hugging or some shit. It’s kind of embarrassing, but hey. At least we actually have genuine friendships here. We don’t hang out with each other because of our money or what our daddies do.” He stopped again and John B. decided to take over, clearly tired of him drawing it out.

“Basically the whole Kook Academy has been online spreading rumors about Kie, calling her a slut and shit like that. Saying she sleeps with all of us and has no friends. And that she has to hang out with “trash” because no one else will. And there’s a lot of other pictures and comments like that too. That’s just the first one we found.” John B. said, throwing a rock towards the tree, trying to hit it.

“What? About Kie? And us?! _Sleeping together?!_ Like we have some group orgy at the Chateau or something?” Pope said, his eyes bugging out.

“Well, yeah. But that’s not the bad part, Pope! They’re calling Kie names and shit!” JJ exclaimed, going over to Pope and shaking him.

“How is she dealing with it? Is she okay? What’re we gonna do?” Pope asked, looking between the two of them.

“Now, that’s what I’m talking about! Those are all good questions, my man.” JJ answered. “Tell him, John B.”

“So, we’re sure it’s Topper and his crew of pretentious fucks who are behind this. Probably including Sarah Cameron, since she and Kie hate each other now. Even though we don’t really know why. So we need to get them back obviously and give them a taste of their own medicine. That’s why JJ stole a camera.”

“He did what?!” Pope said, eyes bugging out. “I love Kie and I’ll do a lot of things to help her, but I can not be attached to this. Who’d you steal it from?”

JJ held up the fancy camera he had stolen from outside of a Kook’s house. “It was like they wanted me to take it, man. It was just on the table, outside. No one was around.”

“Oh my god. That’s like a two thousand dollar camera, JJ! I’m sure their house had cameras watching you! How long do we have before they catch you?”

“I stole it yesterday, calm down, Pope. No one noticed. I bet they have a million.” JJ answered, swinging the camera around by the string.

“I have a happy medium. Why don’t we use the camera for the revenge pictures of Topper and whoever else to help Kie and then JJ returns it like a good boy?” John B. suggested.

“No way, bro. It’s worth two grand! We need to pawn this shit off.” JJ replied. “Chill out, Pope. You’re rubbing off on John B.”

“Good. That’s an okay plan, John B. You’re giving it back, JJ.” Pope said, reaching out for it. JJ stepped back and held it up, taking a picture of Pope. 

“That’s a good one, Pope. I should send that to the honor society to show how honorable you’re being.”

“Yeah, you should definitely take pictures of us with it so they know who stole it. You idiot. Delete that!” Pope freaked out, reaching for it again.

JJ laughed and took some more pictures. He stepped back again and tripped over John B. 

“Ow! Get your scrawny ass off me, JJ!” He groaned, pushing him off. Pope took advantage and reached down and grabbed the camera, going through and deleting the pictures.

“Scrawny?! I’m pure muscle, baby.” JJ said, all offended. 

“Please. You still look like you did when you were thirteen.” John B. laughed at him.

“I’m sorry, do you not see my moustache? You need glasses, bro.”

“Wait, what the hell? Did you guys use this camera already to take pictures of Sarah Cameron and her friends?” Pope asked, flipping through the pictures.

“Maybe.” JJ said, looking over at John B.

“Okay, that’s just creepy. We aren’t taking pictures of girls and posting them online. Topper, I’m fine with. But no, this is wrong.” Pope said, finger hovering over the delete button.

“I’m cool with that, Pope. You know I respect women. John B. was the one drooling over her in the bushes.” 

“Shut up, JJ. I was not. Delete them, Pope. We’ll get Topper.” He said, blushing.

Pope deleted them and put the camera in his pocket. “Shut up, JJ.” He said when he saw him open his mouth to argue against it. “I’m keeping it until it’s time.”

“You just want to use it to take pictures of dead bodies, right?” JJ asked.

“You caught me.” Pope said, rolling his eyes. “Cause there are so many dead bodies for me to photograph.”

He turned to leave. “I’m heading back. I think we have a good plan for once. I’ll give you the camera back at the end of the school day tomorrow, JJ. It can wait till then.”

“Seriously, bro? Blackmailing me into more school? Just when I thought you could sink no lower.” JJ said.

“It’s not really blackmail. Think of it as a reward.” Pope said as he got on his bike and pushed off. 

“That’s not a reward, Pope!” He called after him.

“Duh!” Pope called back. “You don’t need a reward for going to school!”

“He told you.” John B. laughed. 

“Shut up, John B. You don’t even get a reward.”

“Neither do you, dumbass.” John B. laughed at him.

JJ flipped him from the hammock and ran away before he could get untwisted and chase him.

* * *

“Can you just go in? I really don’t want Kie’s asshole dad to get all excited. Can’t we ask her to come out here?” JJ said as they pulled up outside of the Wreck on Saturday. John B. had kidnapped JJ from his house that morning and they had been assigned by Pope to go check on Kie at work since she still hadn’t shown up the past few days to hang out.

“No, because if we ask her to come out, that’s not checking on her, dumbass. She’ll want to know what we want and she’ll find out something’s up. Just ignore him. We need to be able to come here and get free food again, too.” John B. said, getting out and heading towards the door.

JJ groaned before following him. “He’s not gonna give us free food, anyways. He hates you.”

“You can ask him. He’ll get all excited that you’re gonna bring back your special skills.” John B. laughed.

“Or we can just check on Kie quickly and then go work on Project Kie since that’s actually helpful?” JJ suggested as John B. pulled open the door. 

“Hey, Mr. C! Long time no see!” John B. waved at him stupidly, calling across the restaurant to him. 

“Really? We walk in and the first thing you do is get his attention. You’re an idiot. I’m gonna dip.” JJ said, trying to turn around. 

John B. grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the counter. 

“JJ? I didn’t think I was going to see you in here again. You want your job back? I hired another person in the kitchen but we could always use-” 

JJ cut him off, feeling his anger come back up. “No, I don’t want it back. We just need to talk to Kie.” He barely held back what he really wanted to say. 

Mike held up his hands and looked like he wanted to say more but instead he said, “I’ll tell her you’re here.” He walked back towards the kitchen.

“‘I’ll tell her _you’re_ here?’ Like I’m not also here?” John B. said, offended. 

“Why do you care about him, dude? He’s a fucking asshole.” JJ said, moving towards the door so Mr. C wouldn’t be able to listen in when Kie came out. 

“I just don’t get why he likes you and he hates me. Like we aren’t that different.”

“I told you before. Four words. Ugly ass shirts.” JJ responded, flicking the collar of John B.’s hawaiian shirt. 

“That’s three words. Here are four words for you. Annoying with no style.”

“Aw, don’t put yourself down like that, John B. You aren’t _that_ annoying.”

“What’s wrong? Why are you two here? My dad said you were here and seemed “off.” Kie cut them off as she came out from the kitchen and walked over to where they were waiting.

“That’s offensive. I’m sorry if I don’t act hunky dory with him.” JJ said, glaring in his general direction.

“Relax, JJ. Nothing’s wrong, Kie. We just wanted to say hi and see what was new with you.” John B. said, giving her an awkward smile.

“Ok….so I’m going to play along and then I’m going to text Pope because you guys are freaking me out.” She said, looking between them like they were crazy.

JJ subtly stepped on John B.’s foot and he winced, but kept his weird smile. 

“We were just bored, taking John B.’s van for a joyride and wanted to come and see our favorite friend who also has fries.” He said, relaxing when she rolled her eyes. 

“So you just wanted fries? Is that why you’re being so awkward? Why didn’t you just say so? Ignore my dad and go sit at the counter.” She walked back to the kitchen, shaking her head. 

“Great. Thanks for being so awkward, John B. Now we have to sit at the counter with her stupid dad.”

“Me?! I didn’t even bring up fries! You did.” He said back, throwing himself onto one of the stools.

“To save her from noticing that you were lying! You were doing your smile you do when you lie.”

Kie came out right as John B. was about to respond and put down two huge baskets of fries on the counter. She rested her elbow on the counter and took out her phone, before making a face and shoving it back in her pocket.

John B. and JJ looked at each other. John B. nodded his head towards her to tell JJ he should ask and he rolled his eyes. 

“You cool, Kie? My offer still stands. Let us know whose ass we need to beat and we’re on it.” He said. 

“You sure? Because that was my mom. Does your offer still stand?” She raised her eyebrows at him. He could tell she was lying but he went along with it. 

“Um, no? Because I respect women and would never! Thought it might be a Kook.” He said, shrugging.

“It was a Kook, but she’s my mom. So thanks, but no thanks.” Kie said. “I’ll be back in ten and I can take my break with you guys. I just need to finish up back there.”

“Would it kill our favorite friend to score us some soda?” JJ called after her.

She rolled her eyes at them before disappearing back into the kitchen.

“If he comes over here, I cannot guarantee I won’t come out swinging. Verbally, obviously. But still. I am not in the mood for this shit.” JJ said, moving his eyes to the side without turning his head to keep an eye on Kie’s dad. 

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. He’s coming over here. John B, say something weird to him so he fucks off.” JJ said through his clenched teeth.

John B. looked over at Mr. C. while shoving fries in his mouth. “Alright, I got this. Relax. But he’s not gonna like this, so I’m sacrificing it all for you right now because I’m a good friend. Here goes my chances of him ever not hating me.”

JJ nodded and looked down at his fries, focusing on them and listening with both ears. 

“JJ, do you want any-” Mr. C started to say before he was immediately cut off by John B.

“Mr. C, so this is kind of awkward, but I was wondering if I could have your permission to ask Kie out on a date?” He asked, burping loudly and wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “Scuse me.” He added.

JJ started choking on a fry and Mr. C. passed him a cup of water from behind the counter before turning his death glare onto John B., who was slapping JJ on the back a little too enthusiastically. JJ felt him shrink under his glare and he knew he would have to really splurge on John B.’s birthday present this year.

“What did you just say to me?” Mr. C asked him in a calm voice. JJ knew he was about to blow so he used Kie for help when she came back out with sodas. 

“Thanks, Kie. We gotta go. See you later?” JJ said loudly, standing up and picking up his basket of fries. Mr. C didn’t turn his glare away from John B. even though John B. was already up, semi-hiding behind JJ, ready to get out. 

“Wait, what? Do you need a to-go bag?” She asked, looking between the three of them. “What’s up with John B? Dad, what’d you do?”

“Kie, these will be gone before we get in the car. Thank you for feeding the poor. We appreciate your service.” JJ said as he grabbed John B. with his other hand and dragged him towards the door. He ignored her question and saw Mr. C looking over at them, angrily explaining what had been said, but Kie laughed and said something to him as she walked back to the kitchen and he dropped it. 

“And now I’m dead.” John B. said as he tried to open his car door and eat fries at the same time. 

“I owe you one. Stupidest thing to ever say to Kie’s dad, bro. Like he’s definitely sneaking in through your window tonight and murdering you.”

“You’re sleeping over.”

“Duh. You’d be dead otherwise.” JJ said, pretending to karate chop the car door.

“That was useless though. We didn’t even see how Kie was!” John B. said.

“I mean, not really. You saw that, right? She was getting harassed by them when we were right there!” JJ said, looking at John B. like he was stupid.

“What? That was her mom.” John B. said, backing out and driving out of the parking lot. 

“Really? Really, John B.? Her mom? She was clearly lying, dude. She does that thing with her eyes where she blinks a lot when she’s lying.” JJ said, putting his feet up on the dashboard.

His own phone vibrated and he pulled it out, trying not to look too desperate. He had been trying to convince himself that he wasn’t looking for anything from his mom and that he didn’t care, but it wasn’t working too well. His stomach sunk when he saw a text from Mimi asking him to call her. He pushed his phone back in his pocket. 

“What thing? I’ve never noticed a thing?” John B. was saying.

“Just drive, man. We’ve got a plan to keep working on tonight.”

Their ‘plan’ involved a lot of stalking from the bushes around both Topper and Rafe’s houses every night that week. Right when they were about to give up, they had two back-to-back golden nights. The first night, they captured Topper in his whitey tighties shaving his legs and his ballsack. John B. thought it was solid, but JJ wanted to destroy their lives, not just embarrass them.

They went back again, despite John B.’s complaints and hit gold at Rafe’s. JJ knew they were going to when they saw everyone’s fancy cars their parents bought them parked in the driveway. But they couldn’t believe their luck when they got the perfect shot of Topper, Rafe and a few other douchebag Kooks crushing pills and snorting the powder on their patio. 

“Shit, shit, shit! Fucking idiots! We got them now! Let’s see how the fucking Kook Academy likes this.” JJ said as he snapped the pictures, squinting into the lense. He took some more of Topper drinking since he knew the Kook principal wouldn't like that.

“I can’t believe this has night vision and such a sick zoom. We’re keeping this.” John B. said, grabbing it from JJ and looking through the pictures before taking some more. 

“Don’t let Pope hear you. He thinks we’re returning it, thanks to you.” JJ answered.

“You bought that? I just said that to get him to shut up. No one’s returning anything. Fuck the Kooks.” John B. said back and JJ broke out into a smile.

“I thought I’d lost you there. Thank god.” 

“Here, help me send these to my phone. I don’t want to risk losing them. These are gonna save Kie.” John B. said as he shoved the camera back at JJ. 

“Got it. Should I send them to Pope, too?” He asked.

“Nah. Let’s save the surprise. He’s gonna be so proud.” John B. said, checking his phone. “Shit. Kie’s asking about what happened with her dad earlier. She says he wants to murder me slowly.”

“And let me guess. Skin you alive?” JJ said, grabbing his phone to read it.

“No, don’t type that, dumbass. She’ll know that’s not me talking anyways.” John B. said, snatching it back as JJ tried to send a kissy face. 

“Don’t worry, John B. I’ve got you. You’re getting the sickest birthmas present this year.”

“I better. Because now I’m high on his hit list.” John B. said.

“You were always high on his hit list. But he’s high on ours, so we’re even. Now check on Kie and see how she’s doing.”

* * *

JJ waited a whole two days to call Mimi, not wanting to deal with anything having to do with his mom or his dad. He had been avoiding his dad like the plague ever since his mom had come. He had been angrier than ever and JJ did not feel like being in his path if he could help it. He was angry too and knew it wasn’t a good mixture.

“Hi Mimi.” He said when she answered the phone as he sat on the beach. “It’s JJ, calling you back.” 

“Hi, JJ “calling you back”. It’s “Mimi, answering you”. How are you, sweetie?” 

He smiled at her joke, even though he felt like shit.

“I’m good. How about you?” He said, reaching out and grabbing a handful of sand and letting it fall through his fingers. 

“I’m not that happy, actually. And I know you can’t be feeling too good either. Honey, I am so sorry about what happened. I had no idea your mom was going to come to you like that. We had talked about it and I told her she needed to respect your wishes and she lied to me and said she would.”

JJ swallowed a lump, thinking about how his dad had said both he and his mom were liars. “It’s okay, Mimi. It’s over now, so it’s cool.”

“It might be over, but it’s not cool. I know for a fact I didn’t get the whole story from her. What happened?” Mimi said. She was pissed.

JJ didn’t feel like reliving it in his head so he gave her a quick replay, leaving out all of the shit that had been said. “She came over, we talked, she wanted me to come live with her, I said I wanted to stay here for now and then she left and said she wasn’t going to try again.”

It was silent for a second before JJ heard Mimi curse. 

“It’s okay, Mimi. I’m used to her not being there. I’m not gonna break or anything. I just don’t want to leave my friends and home and stuff.” He lied.

“No, of course you don’t. I told her that. But she’s been so set on getting you back since her boyfriend’s family says it’s weird she doesn’t see you or live with you. She wants it to happen now and doesn’t want to wait.”

JJ tried not to let him stomach sink more when he heard that that was why she wanted to have him around. “Yeah, I get it. It’s cool.” He said, wanting to hang up.

“I didn’t mean it like that. She wants to see you and reconnect with you because she loves you too. But she’s not patient. She has to have it all or nothing. And she hasn’t had to be a mom in a long time. I’m going to talk to her. She owes you an apology.” Mimi said.

“It’s okay. It’s no worse than my dad.” He admitted.

“That doesn’t make it good. Did he behave himself? She said he was awful.” 

“You know. Nobody got hurt, so it was okay.” He tried to joke. _Except him_ , he thought.

“Yes, they did. And I’m sorry. I love you. I’ll talk to her, don’t you worry. And him.” Mimi replied.

“No- I mean, you don’t have to talk to him Mimi. He’s kind of pissed off. You know how he gets.” JJ said, trying to play it cool but not knowing if he would survive the aftermath of that call. His dad hated talking to Mimi, especially since she wasn’t afraid to threaten him and call him out.

“Oh, I know how he gets. And that’s exactly why I’m talking to him. He needs to be supporting you, not tearing you down, making you cry.”

“Wait, what? He didn’t make me cry.” He said, confused and embarrassed.

“Your mom said he was so awful to you, you broke down crying and she had to convince him to leave you alone so she could help you through it. It’s okay, sweetie.”

JJ furrowed his brow, confused about why his mom would lie about something like that. If anyone had made him cry, it was her, not him. At least that day.

“That didn’t happen, Mimi. She’s lying. She threw a boot at him and shit. They were both going at each other.” He didn’t know why he was defending his dad and making her sound worse, but he couldn’t help it. 

Mimi was silent for a second. “I’m sorry, sweetie. So that didn’t happen? She’s just such a good liar.”

“Nah.” He said, trying not to think about how his dad always said they both were good liars. He didn't want to be anything like her. He just wanted to get off the phone and go back to focusing on helping Kie so he didn’t have to think about this. 

“Alright. I’m not going to call him then. But I’m talking to her. I am so sorry this happened to you.”

“It’s okay.” He said, standing up. “I have to go help my friends with a project.”

“Okay, baby. I’ll text you. Please don’t worry, I’ll set your mom straight. Love you.” She said.

“Love you, too.” 

He hung up and pulled out his vape, trying to calm down before heading back to the Chateau.

* * *

“I’m sorry, you did not get pictures of Topper in whitey-tighties shaving his balls! This is the only time I’ll say it- maybe it was a good idea to steal a camera with such a good zoom quality!” Pope said, hunched over the camera, laughing.

“I’m going to remember that always. The day you admitted that I was right to steal.” JJ said, grabbing the camera back from Pope.

“You didn’t even see the good pictures! The ones we’re gonna use. Check these out.” John B. said as he snatched the camera from JJ and opened the ones they had taken of him snorting the pills.

“Shit! Are you gonna post these online?” Pope asked, leaning over John B.’s shoulder to look at them.

“Well, we could. But that would just make us as petty as him. And no one would even be surprised or care. I mean, half of the fucking Kooks do this shit. So instead we’re gonna send this to the head of the Kook Academy. And we got some of fucking Rafe. That’s going to his boss at his cushy little internship. And we got some of Sarah but we need to figure out if she was involved.” JJ explained. 

“You know what, guys? I’ve got to hand it to you. You actually came up with a pretty solid revenge plan.” Pope said, sitting down. “But what if this doesn’t stop them from harassing Kie? They need to know it came from us.”

“My man! All this studying is making you so smart. So we also need to fucking threaten them. But how is the question? I vote we steal a gun and hold them up.” JJ said, looking at Pope and John B.

“What are you idiots talking about? Threaten who? Guns? Why am I not involved?”

They all jumped when they heard Kie’s voice. John B. tried to hide the camera but was too slow and made it more obvious. Kie narrowed her eyes at him and walked over, holding out her hand. “What did y’all do?”

“Ok, Kie-mosabe. How did you just sneak up on us all ninja style like that? I used to doubt you were related to your dad, but damn. That’s me corrected.” JJ said, walking over towards John B. too so he could stop her from getting the camera.

“I rode my bike. We were supposed to meet at Rixon’s, remember?” She reached for the camera when JJ and John B. both looked at Pope.

JJ walked over to her, trying to grab it, but she was too fast. “Is this Topper? And Rafe? What’s he snorting? When did you take these?” Her voice got more concerned as she flipped through the pictures. “Wait, what the fuck? Are you guys stalking Sarah Fucking Cameron!?” 

She sat down and continued to flick through them. JJ looked at Pope and Pope gestured for him to explain. He looked at John B. and John B. pointed at him. He rolled his eyes before explaining.

“Alright, so don’t get mad, Kie….” He started, scooting across the room in case she did out of habit. 

“Love when things start that way. Spit it out. I can’t handle more shit right now.” Kie said, not looking up from the camera.

JJ gave Pope and John B. a nervous look. They motioned for him to continue so he did. “We saw the shit that the Kooks have been saying about you- about us- online. And we’re getting some fucking revenge. An eye for an eye, Kie. Nothing you can say will stop us. You don’t deserve that shit.” 

Kie froze before putting the camera down and looking at them all. “What’d you see?” She asked. JJ couldn’t tell if she was angry or not.

“We saw what they’ve been saying about all of us. And the names they’ve been calling you. And we know it wasn’t just one time, Kie. So we took these pictures and we’re gonna send them to the Kook principal and Rafe’s boss and ruin them. Payback’s a bitch.” John B. said.

Kie had looked away while he was talking and was blinking a lot. JJ thought she was going to cry so he tried to make a joke. “I know. You’re traumatized because you just saw Topper in his whitey tighties shaving his balls. We all did. We’ll get through it together.”

Kie laughed and wiped her eyes. “I’m just fucking mad at myself that I even care. I mean, I hate everyone at the Kook Academy. And I’ve always gotten shit from everyone, even my own fucking parents, for hanging out with you guys. I’ve heard it all before. It shouldn’t bother me, but there’s something about how it wasn’t even said to my face but through a screen. It’s been really fucking hard going to school. I’ve got these people being fake to me in person and then calling me a slut online. It hurts.”

“We’ve got you, Kie.” Pope said. 

“So you guys did all this for me?” She asked, looking like she was holding back tears again.

“Duh. We’d do anything for you. No one fucks with Kie.” JJ said.

“Yep. And I mean, of all the rumors. I can’t believe they think I would do anything sexual with JJ.” John B. joked. 

“You? I think you mean you can’t believe they would think I’d lower _my_ standards to do anything with you, John B. I mean, you literally smell like an ape.” JJ said, throwing a dirty sock at him that he found on the sofa.

John B. tried to answer but Pope cut them off. “Kie, you just say who it was besides Topper and Rafe and we’ll make sure they pay, too. Was Sarah involved?”

Kie looked back down at the camera and bit her lip. They hadn’t talked about her since Kie had come back into their group. 

“Kie?” JJ asked when she stayed silent.

“No. I confronted her about it when it started and she swore she wasn’t. I believe her. But even if she was, I wouldn’t want to ruin her future. Getting revenge on Topper and Rafe is good enough since I know for sure they started it because of the fight the other weekend. And for Halloween.” 

The boys looked at each other, unsure of whether they should push her on it. Pope spoke up. “Okay, Kie. So we’re gonna get those two assholes back. You want to help us execute the plan?”

“Duh. I can’t believe you guys didn’t let me in on this earlier. This changes everything! Is that why you guys kept being weird and checking on me and stuff?” She asked.

“Guilty. We would have included you, but we thought you wouldn’t want to know that we knew.” John B. explained. 

“We’re best friends. Pogues for life, right? We don’t keep secrets. ” Kie said back. “No matter what.”

“You’re right. Sorry, Kie.” JJ said.

“Sorry? You guys are saving my ass! I’ve been feeling like shit because of it and I didn’t want you guys to find out cause it’s fucking embarassing, but now I’m actually feeling something again! Just next time, I want to be part of it from the beginning.” She said back, putting the camera on the table. 

“Deal. So, email first, and then figure out how to threaten them? Or threaten them first and then email? Or both at the same time?” Pope asked her. 

“Threaten first. But not in writing, so they don’t have proof. We’ll have to wait for the perfect time. And get them each separately. Maybe we blackmail them and we keep it as a threat.” She said.

“And that could stop any future problems, too.” Pope added. 

“I’m not afraid of that. I’ll beat both of their asses at the same time, anytime.” JJ said, getting pissed all over again.

“No one’s beating anyone up. This is finally the perfect revenge. We’ll plan more tomorrow?” Pope asked them.

“I’m there.” JJ said immediately.

“Me too.” John B. added. 

“I’m there too.” Kie said. 

“Alright! Try to fuck with the Pogues. I dare you!” JJ said, pretending John B. was Topper and faking punches.

“Really scary. Now let’s go to Rixon’s. I’m ready to surf. I put my board in the van.” Kie said.

JJ stopped punching John B. and turned his head at the word ‘surf’. “Last one to the van has to clean John B.’s dirty clothes for a week!”

They all tripped over each other trying to get to the van, which ended up with John B. tripping down the steps and squishing JJ and Pope. Which is how JJ started the month of December with a bright blue cast on his arm and Pope on crutches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though what's happening to Kie is not funny/happy/okay at all, hopefully this chapter was a little bit happier! They needed a break from the other situations!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	11. Lie Till We Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justice for Kie is sought out and JJ and John B.'s crime streak finally begins to catch up to them.

“Thanks again, John B. I don’t want to hear about me being scrawny ever again. If I had fallen on you, you wouldn’t have broken your arm, that’s for sure.” JJ said as he came over the day after the incident with his shiny new cast. He was pissed about not being able to surf until it was off.

“I’m sorry, okay? I feel like shit. At least you don’t have crutches like Pope.” John B. said, looking guilty. 

He rolled his eyes and flopped down next to John B. on the pullout, grabbing the remote from him. His cast almost hit John B. in his face and he tried to hide his smile when he complained.

“JJ! Watch where you’re swinging that thing!” John B. said, covering his face. 

“The only good thing about having this shit is that I’ll be able to use it to bash Topper and Rafe's faces in when we threaten them.” JJ said, knocking on it to show how hard it is. 

“That’s true. See! That’s a positive.” John B. said, getting up and going towards the kitchen.

“Bring me some snacks, man. I’m starving. There was no food at my house.”

“I’m not waiting on you for a broken arm. Your legs work, dumbass. Come and get your own snacks.”

“No. Get me some snacks for breaking my arm and I’ll consider forgiving you.” JJ said back.

“Oh, you’ll consider forgiving me?”

“Yeah. I can’t surf, I can’t even smoke, cause I can barely roll it with one hand. I’m gonna die.” JJ said, pulling out his weed from his pocket and throwing it into John B.’s spot. “Roll it for me and bring me snacks.”

“Do you think we’re still invited to Pope’s tomorrow for dinner or no? Considering I sprained their son’s ankle.” John B. asked, grabbing a bag of chips and throwing it towards JJ before grabbing his bag of weed and the rolling papers.

“I don’t know, man. You’re so lucky you didn’t break _his_ arm. Imagine if he couldn’t do his homework. Heyward probably won’t care too much since he can still study. You can bring dessert to make up for it.” He said, using his teeth to open the bag of chips. John B. gave him a look to show him he was impressed with his one handed skills.

“Did you talk to Pope?” He asked.

“Yeah. He was being all dramatic when I told him I couldn’t do any of my missing assignments since I can’t write.”

“You broke your left arm, JJ.” John B. said, finishing rolling the blunt and lighting it. He passed it to JJ and JJ knew it was only out of guilt that he let him take the first hit.

“So?”

“You’re right handed.” John B. said like it was obvious.

“I’m not getting your point.” JJ answered.

“You can still write because- you know what, nevermind. I can’t explain it to you.”

JJ shrugged and passed John B. the blunt. “Imagine if you had squished Kie. Her dad would actually kill you.” 

John B. shuddered. “I literally saw him yesterday driving past the docks and he pointed at me. And I swear to god. The dude pretended to shoot me.” 

“Shut up. He did not.” JJ laughed.

“He did, JJ. He put it up, pretended to cock it and aimed.” 

“With his fingers?” JJ laughed.

“Yeah, but still. That should make us even for me breaking your arm. He’s literally after me, bro.” John B. answered.

“It helps, but no. I can’t do my two favorite things: surf and get high. For like over a month. We’re not even.”

“You’re getting high right now.” John B. grabbed the blunt from him and stood up. “Let’s go. We’re supposed to meet Kie and Pope at the beach. She says she picked him up.”

He got his keys and almost tripped getting up and trying to hop over JJ.

“Why are we meeting at the beach? Just to taunt Pope and I? And we have to walk, dumbass. You just smoked.” JJ said, grabbing his backpack and throwing John B.’s keys back on the table.

“Damn, why did I do that?” John B. said. “I’m asking them to come here.”

“You do a lot of dumb shit, bro. Just give in and let it take over. That’s what I do.”

* * *

Threatening Topper and Rafe was easy to plan, but harder to execute. They all disagreed on almost every part of it. Who should do it, when, where and what would be said. Kie had wanted to go with them, but they shot it down, saying they didn’t want her in the crossfire anymore than she already was. She hadn’t let that slide and they had compromised that she could come for Topper, but not Rafe. 

Finally, it was agreed that they would corner Rafe on his way back from his fancy job and Topper whenever they could catch him that day. They had all agreed that Pope shouldn’t be part of it in case Topper and Rafe fought back, since his scholarship was on the line. 

John B. and JJ decided to pretend they had a flat tire on Rafe’s route home. He had to drive back to Figure Eight on a road that wasn’t popular and they knew if he saw John B.’s van, he wouldn’t be able to resist stopping.

John B. stood near the road, waiting to see Rafe’s stupid BMW while JJ hid behind the van. John B. squatted down in the dirt on the side of the road as it came around the corner and pretended to be upset. They knew Rafe wouldn’t be able to resist stopping if he saw that. 

The car pulled over next to them, as predicted. JJ rolled his eyes. 

“You need some help? I know you’re too dirt poor to even afford a phone to call for help for that piece of shit.” Rafe said as he rolled the window down.

John B. pretended to be surprised to see him and scared so that Rafe would get out of his car, thinking he had the upper hand. 

“Oh, shit. Look, Rafe, I don’t want any trouble, man. I’m just trying to get some help for my van.” He said, standing up and backing away with his hands up. JJ almost laughed, but held it in for revenge’s sake. He was so proud of John B.’s acting skills.

Rafe couldn’t resist being seen as a threat and pulled in front of the van, putting his car in park and getting out. JJ smirked to himself and crept closer from where he was crouched. 

“Look, John B, it’s not even really your fault what went down two weeks ago. It’s your fucking little piece of shit friend, JJ. But since I can’t get to him, I’m going to send him a message through you. Sorry it had to come to this, but it is what it is.” he said, walking towards John B.

JJ came up from behind him and slammed him against the side of the van, using his good arm to pin him by the throat. John B. came over and held up some of the pictures they had taken.

Rafe struggled and John B. leaned his body weight onto him to help JJ, holding the pictures back with one hand so Rafe couldn’t grab them.

“You see these, Rafe? How would you like your fucking boss to get a hold of them? Or your dad? I wonder how long you’d survive without his wallet. Would you die without polo shirts and a BMW?” JJ said, getting farther in his face.

“Get the fuck off me, you pieces of shit!” Rafe said, trying to twist away from them. JJ brought up his broken arm to help hold him back, ignoring the twinge of pain for Kie’s sake.

“No. Not until you listen to us and get it through your thick skull what we have on you and what we’re saying. We’ve got shit to ruin your fucking business man Kook future. And we’ve got it saved in every way, shape and form. You’re gonna set all of your fucking Kook friends straight about Kie and her relationships with us. And you’re not gonna look at her, speak to her or speak about her ever again. Or these go straight to everyone. Do you get it?” JJ threatened.

“As if my boss doesn’t do that shit too. Please. I’m not gonna apologize for calling Kie what she is.” Rafe said, but his face was red from the struggle. 

John B. pulled out his phone. “Alright, we thought you might say that. I’m pushing send now.”

“Go ahead, you little pieces of shit. I don’t give a fuck. Everyone knows I do that. You thought you had something on me? Send it.” 

JJ looked at John B. and he looked back at him. He couldn’t tell if Rafe was lying or not but figured they had nothing to lose either way. “You heard the Kook. Send it.”, he said to John B.

John B. sent it and Rafe laughed again. “I can’t believe you thought that would matter. What'd you do, steal a camera and hide in my bushes? Because of a rumor of Kiara being a slut? She is a slut. And you’re all pieces of trash. And everyone knows i-”

He was cut off when JJ slammed his cast across Rafe’s face, aiming for his nose. Rafe cried out and grabbed his nose as blood gushed out of it. 

“Alright, JJ, let’s go! Come on!” John B. said, pulling him away from Rafe even though he was letting go. 

JJ reached into Rafe’s pocket and grabbed his keys, throwing them into the woods across the road so he couldn’t chase after them right away. He pushed Rafe away from them and they both got into the van, starting it and speeding off as Rafe yelled after them.

“Great. Well that went well. Do you think he was serious or no?” John B. asked as he sped off towards the Chateau where Pope and Kie were waiting. 

“Who knows. We’ll have to wait and see. Fucking asshole, I feel like I broke my arm all over again.” JJ said, moving his fingers and turning his cast to look at it. “Gross. His Kook blood is on it.”

“Don’t touch it, you idiot! You could get a disease.” John B. said, grabbing his arm away from it.

“I wasn’t touching it! I was just looking.” JJ said, pushing John B. back. He swerved on the road a little and JJ stopped. 

“Topper time.” John B. said, turning towards Kie’s house to pick up her and Pope.

"All in a day's work." JJ said, putting his feet on the dashboard.

* * *

“Let me do the talking, okay? I need to do this.” Kie said as they swerved into the parking lot of the gas station after seeing Topper turn in. They had been semi stalking him for the past hour, waiting for a chance to get him alone.

“Consider us your Backstreet Boys, Kie.” JJ said as he and John B. hopped out of the car with her. He flipped his hat so it was over his eyes instead of backwards and John B. did the same.

“Pope, you got the pictures?” He asked before closing the door.

“Right here. Let’s hope this goes better than Rafe.” Pope answered as he handed them over.

“It will. Because the Kook principal will actually care about this shit.” JJ said. “Pray for us, Pope.”

“You need prayers, but not for Topper, you idiots. You know you can get arrested for-”

He was cut off when JJ slammed the door and followed Kie and John B. over to Topper’s Jeep. They crouched behind it and waited for him to come out of the gas station.

“He’s not even buying gas. He probably has his butler do it or some shit like that.” JJ said. “I’m surprised he even goes into gas stations. Kind of dirty for his little boat shoes.” 

“Shh. Shut up, JJ. He’s coming.” Kie whispered, scooting back, forcing JJ and John B. to scoot back.

Topper walked around the front of his car and right when he reached for the door handle, Kie stood up. JJ and John B. followed her lead, standing behind her. 

“Hey, Topper.” She said. He looked up and froze, eyes wide. JJ smiled behind Kie. This would be too easy. 

“ _Shit_. Look, I don’t want any problems, Kiara. I heard what you guys did to Rafe and you can’t do that here. Everyone will see. Get the hell away from me.” He said, looking over Kie’s shoulder at JJ and John B.

“We’ll see what we do or don’t do.” JJ said.

“Look, Kiara, I didn’t have anything to do with this online shit. It was all Rafe. I told him to stop but he wouldn’t listen.” Topper said as he tried to reach for his door handle. 

“Shut up, Topper. I know it was you too, stop trying to hide behind Rafe and take some responsibility for your actions, you pretentious asshole!” Kie said angrily. 

“Ok, ok, I’m sorry, ok Kiara? I should have stopped him. Just please, if you send those pictures to the school, my future is ruined. I’ll be suspended and I’ll be blacklisted from all good colleges. You understand, right? I’ll make it right, but you’ve got to give me a chance.” Topper begged. 

“Oh, she should give you a chance? We don’t think she should. I think John B. should press send right now and you can kiss your future goodbye.” JJ said, stepping closer behind Kie.

“JJ, stop, I got this.” Kie said to him. “Why should I believe anything you say, Topper? Give me one good reason.”

“Look, Kiara, I didn’t mean to, I promise. I respect women completely. I’ve got a little sister! I told Rafe that it was wrong but he didn’t listen. I’m going to delete all of the pictures and tell everyone that none of it's true. You’ve got to believe me.” He said. 

JJ made a finger gun and pointed it at him over Kie’s shoulder. John B. laughed and Kie turned around and glared at him. JJ laughed at him since Kie didn’t notice what he had done. 

“You’re going to delete all of the pictures right here, while we’re all standing here. And you’re going to text all your little friends saying that it was wrong and that it’s not true. None of it's true. And then we’ll think about not sending your pictures.” Kie said.

“Ok, deal. Let me work on it. I’ll delete the pictures I have access to, okay? Rafe had put some up but I’ll report them. I promise.” Topper said, pulling out his fancy phone and fumbling to do what he said. 

“Fuck you guys, for real. You’re pieces of shit. It’s not really the pictures. It’s the words, dumbass. Not that you deserve to even look at pictures of Kie. Or us.” JJ said, glaring at him. He took a step forward and Kie pushed him back. 

“JJ.” She said as a warning. He was pissed that Topper was going to get away with it just like Rafe.

“Kie, they’re gonna get away with it, both of them. We need to send the pictures. It’s the only way to get payback.” He argued, not caring when Topper looked up at him anxiously. 

“JJ, let her handle it.” John B. said to him. He rolled his eyes but shut up.

They waited for five minutes while Topper nervously deleted things and showed Kie every time he did. Finally, she nodded and tried to get them to leave. Topper scrambled towards his car.

JJ couldn’t resist shoving him with his good arm and reaching into his pocket to see what he had on him. He was so mad about everything and he wanted to take it all out on him. He pulled out his fancy iPhone and waved it at him. 

“I should keep this shit. Or break it.” He said, checking out the phone.

“Stop, JJ. Give it back and let’s go.” Kie said. John B. tried to grab the phone from him but he moved away. 

“No. I’m taking this with me. Fuck you, Topper. You fuck up and all you do is whine and say sorry and life’s peachy for you again? You made Kie’s life miserable. I don’t care if it was for a few weeks or a few minutes. You need to pay. And we’ll start by upgrading one of our phones.” He said, turning to walk away. 

“John B., stop him. Seriously, we don’t need this.” He heard Kie say.

“JJ, stop. That’s too far, man. I’m pissed too but you take his phone and he’s gonna go crying to his mommy and you’ll be the one in trouble. Give it to me.” John B. said, grabbing his shoulder and holding his hand out. 

“I’m so pissed, John B. I’m so tired of these fucking Kooks getting to do what they want and nothing happens to them, man! We did all of that for nothing? He says sorry and that makes it all okay? How fair is that?” He said to John B. He turned towards the car and almost rolled his eyes when he saw Pope get out and come hobbling over to them.

“What’s going on?” Pope asked them. 

“Topper set it straight, JJ is pissed and took his phone and we’re trying to get him to give it back so he doesn’t get sent to Juvie by Topper’s psycho parents when he tells them about this.” John B. explained. 

“JJ, come on. Give it to us and get in the car. We’ve got shit on Topper and he can worry about us sending it for the rest of eternity. But let’s not let him win by getting you in trouble too.” Pope said, holding his hand out for the phone. 

JJ shoved the phone into Pope’s hand before getting into the car and slamming the door shut. 

He sat in the backseat and kicked the other seat angrily. He looked over and saw them walking away from Topper, who sped away in his Jeep. He rolled his eyes and shook his head as they got in the van.

“JJ, I know, okay? I want to make him pay too, but if he takes it down and sets it right, I don’t think we should ruin his entire life. I appreciate you guys helping me, but let me decide how it’s handled, okay?” Kie said, turning from the front seat to look at him.

He didn’t say anything, knowing that Kie was right and that he was being an asshole, but not caring enough to change. He just wanted to get revenge right now. 

John B. dropped Kie off at her house and then drove Pope to his. 

“You guys are coming over at six, right? For dinner?” Pope said before he got out. 

“Duh. We got dessert and everything. As long as your parents aren’t going to kill me for spraining your precious ankle.” John B. said from the driver’s seat. 

“Oh my god, it’s fine. They will kill you if you don’t show up tonight, so I'll see you guys later. Try to cool off, JJ. And no, don't get high before you come over, please.” 

JJ just crossed his arms as much as he could with his cast and didn’t answer.

He knew Pope and John B. were looking at each other but he didn’t care. 

“See you soon, Pope.” John B. said. Pope waved over his shoulder and hobbled inside. 

“Drop me off at home, John B.” JJ said. “I’ve got some shit to do before then.”

“Seriously? Like what? You’re not getting out of this dinner, JJ.”

“I know, fuck off and leave me alone. I need to change and get some stuff. I’ll stay at your place tonight, I just need to go home first.” He said, refusing to look at him.

“Fine. But I’m picking you up at five thirty, no matter what.” 

"Wouldn't expect anything less, bro." JJ answered.

* * *

JJ and his dad had been in a worse place than ever since his mom had come. He couldn’t understand why his dad was pissed, he had gotten his way and had JJ all to himself, not that he seemed to even want him. He wondered why his dad even cared where he lived. He figured it was just some kind of sick competition between his parents. 

“Move.” Luke said as he went out of his way to reach over and push JJ as they walked past each other leaving and entering the kitchen. He tripped a little before moving out of the way. Luke had barely said two words to him in the past week other than “shut up” anytime he spoke. 

“I wasn’t even-” JJ started to say before his dad cut him off.

“Shut up.” Luke said before he could even finish. He grabbed a beer from the almost empty fridge. 

JJ made a face and tried to keep walking out. He was too pissed from the day to deal with this.

“You got something to say?” Luke said. JJ didn’t know whether he wanted an answer since he had just told him to shut up.

“I don’t know what I did.” He decided to say, not wanting to talk but needing to know.

His dad didn’t answer and took a drink, leaning against the counter. 

“I’ve got money. I can go to the store if you want.” JJ offered.

Luke slammed his beer down and looked at him. “I’ve got money, you little shit. You think you’re so special. What’d you steal?”

“Nothing, Dad. I was just offering.” He said, putting his good hand in his pocket and touching the money he had on him subconsciously.

“You see how you’re just like your mom, now? Always trying to start shit and then acting like you aren’t.” Luke said.

JJ knew his dad just wanted a reaction, but he couldn’t help giving him one. “I’m not like her, Dad. I’m not starting anything, I was just offering.”

“You’re trying to say I don’t have money to go to the store, that’s what you’re saying.” 

“I’m not.” JJ said, not sure what else he could say. “I’m going to the Heyward’s for dinner, so I gotta go soon, I was just trying to help.”

“What? Heyward trying to be your daddy now? You got one right here. You’re not going over there pretending like you don’t.” Luke said.

“He’s not. It’s not just him. It’s both of Pope’s parents and John B.” JJ said before taking a step towards the door.

“I didn’t say you could leave.” He heard his dad say. He barely held back a frustrated groan. He was power tripping for no reason. He stopped and stared at his dad, waiting for him to finish. 

He stood there for thirty whole seconds, waiting for his dad to say something. When he stayed silent, not even looking at him, he figured he was done messing with him and started walking past him towards the back door, planning on just heading to John B’s early before they went to Pope’s.

“I’m gonna go, Dad. I said I-”

He didn’t get to finish the sentence because his dad grabbed him by his hair and slammed his face into the fridge. He felt blood gush out of his nose and he saw stars before Luke pushed him away from him. He barely grabbed the counter in time to stay upright. 

“You don’t listen. I didn’t say you can go and here you are walking out. Your fucking ADHD ass can go and stay in your room. You’re not going anywhere.”

JJ reached up with his good arm and felt his throbbing nose, his hand coming back covered in blood. He knew it probably looked a lot worse than it was, but he couldn’t help taking some shaky breaths to try to calm down. He grabbed a paper towel and tried to stop the blood. His dad watched him while he took a sip from his beer.

“What’re you gonna do? Cry about it? Get in there and shut up. You need to learn to listen.”

JJ slammed the trash can lid back down as he threw the now red paper towel in it and ripped another one aggressively off the roll before heading towards his room, trying to control his anger and his shaky hands. While before he used to feel mostly fear when his dad did this to him, he was starting to feel more and more anger and the urge to fight back, which terrified him more than excited him since he knew that wouldn’t end well. 

He had to rip up a t-shirt to shove part of it up his nose when the paper towel became drenched and he eventually laid on his bed, smoking weed that John B had pre-rolled and waiting for him to call and see where he was. He was pissed that his dad had ruined another thing for him, but he couldn’t leave and go to the Heyward's like this. 

His phone rang right as the sun was setting. 

“Are you gonna be ready?” John B.’s voice came through JJ’s phone when he answered. “I’m leaving in five.”

“Shit.” JJ said, pretending like they hadn’t just talked about it. “I can’t.”

“I knew this was going to happen. Why not?” 

“I’m busy.” He answered, bracing himself for John B. to push him more. 

“JJ, what is it? We just talked about this. Just spit it out. You better have a good reason if you’re actually trying to hang me out to dry with them.”

JJ sighed and looked towards the living room where he could hear his dad bumbling around. “My dad’s pissy. I can’t leave right now.” He figured telling half the truth might work.

“Who cares? I’m coming to get you. I’ll be there in ten. Just sneak out your window like you always do. Fuck your dad.” John B. said. JJ could hear him getting his keys.

JJ cursed under his breath. “I can’t come, okay? My dad just fucking snapped on me. I can’t go to the fucking Heyward's like that, ok? Pope’s mom was all over me last time.”

John B. was silent for a second. “Maybe you could tell them.”

JJ couldn’t believe his ears. John B. had always sided with him, understanding why he couldn’t tell anyone about his dad. He knew what it would mean for him and that he would have to leave the island. 

“Are you kidding me right now? You know what would happen if I did that.”

“Maybe I could get my Uncle T to agree to sign for you if they wanted you to go to foster care or with your mom.” John B. said. JJ could tell even he didn’t believe that when he said it. 

“John B, I love you. But he’s not gonna do that. He’s not even there for you, man. He’s not gonna sign up to have another teenager he’s legally responsible for. Just go have fun at the Heyward's. I’m fine.”

“Are you ok? He didn’t hurt your arm did he?” John B. asked.

“No, I’m all good. I’m used to it. It’s you I’m worried about. If you don’t go tonight, Heyward is going to hunt you down. Have fun in my honor.”

“I’m fucking tired of your dad. I’m about to bash _his_ face in. He ruins everything.” John B. said.

“Just go and eat extra for me. Try to be nice.”

“This isn’t cool anymore. I mean it never was, but come on. Enough is enough. It’s never going to stop if we don’t stop it.” John B. said.

“It’s cool, John B. Have fun and make up a good excuse for me. I’ll be at the next one.” JJ said, looking at the ceiling and trying to ignore his throbbing face. He blinked back angry tears.

“Can you sneak out later? Come sleep at my place.”

“Probably. I have to wait until he’s asleep or whatever.” JJ said, looking towards the door. His dad had been extra attentive in a bad way and he didn't want to be caught.

“Alright. I’ll come get you later. With food. Hope you’re hungry.” 

JJ’s stomach was already growling but he ignored it. “I will be. Now go and be nice. Don’t say any stupid shit.”

“Bye, JJ.”

* * *

A few days later, JJ was leaving the convenience store, pockets full of stolen items and a bag full of things he had bought as a distraction when he bumped straight into one of the last people he wanted to see. And that list had grown a lot over the past few months. 

“Sorry.” He said, barely looking up as he pulled out a disposable vape pen from his bag and tried to open it. 

He froze when he saw that it was Mr. C he had bumped into and took a step back before turning to try to quickly walk away. 

“JJ, wait! I’m glad I bumped into you. Can I talk to you for a minute? It’s not about anything to do with The Wreck, I promise.” He said, reaching out a hand towards him. JJ took another step back and glared at him. 

“I got places to be.” He said, turning to continue walking away. 

“Please- it’s about Kiara. We’re worried about her.” 

JJ froze again. He knew Kie would be beyond pissed if he talked to anyone about what had been happening, especially her parents. But he was also pissed that nothing had happened to Topper and Rafe for starting those rumors and he wanted them to pay. 

He decided to hear what he had to say and then decide what to say or do. “Why?” He asked, turning back just a little.

“Can we talk in my car?” Mr. C asked, clearly uncomfortable with talking about it in such a public spot. 

“No. You can talk here or I can go.” JJ said, knowing he was being rude but too angry in general to care. 

“What happened?” He asked JJ, gesturing to his face. “Why is your arm in a cast?” 

“Because John B. tripped and squished me and Pope. Is there a point to this conversation or can I go?” JJ said back, glad Mr. C didn’t know about the incident so he could pretend his bruised nose went with it. 

“No, wait. Kiara’s mom and I have noticed that she’s been different lately. She hides it well, but she’s been upset and it’s clear that something is bothering her. I know you guys are close.” He said, looking at JJ.

JJ raised one eyebrow and didn’t answer.

“Do you know anything about this? Have you noticed it, too? Have your other friends?” Mr. C prompted when he didn’t say anything. 

“Kie’s one of my best friends, I’m not going to share shit she doesn’t want me to share.” He didn’t understand why Kie’s dad thought he would spill her secrets and problems to him, but apparently he was more delusional than he had originally thought.

“Look, I know you’re mad at me. I know before you worked for me, I treated you unfairly. And I know you’re still mad about what happened. But if you really care about Kiara, you’ll tell me what you know so we can help her.” Mr. C said. 

JJ got pissed. He got pissed a lot faster recently so it was easy to give into it. Especially since Mr. Carrera was one of the main reasons things had snowballed for him and he was right in front of him, there to receive his anger.

“You know what? Screw you. Don’t say I don’t care about Kie. If she’s not sharing shit with you, it’s because she doesn’t want you to know and I’m going to fucking respect that.” JJ answered angrily. He was tired of the whole situation and just wanted to leave.

“You don’t need to use that kind of language. I’m worried about my daughter and I had hoped her friends would share the concern.” Mr. C said back. JJ could tell he was getting pissed and wouldn’t tolerate him being rude forever before he snapped back to how he used to be with him. 

“We care more than you do. You make her go to a school she hates. Maybe start there and figure out why she hates it.” JJ said, turning to walk away completely.

“Don’t tell me how much I care about my daughter. We know what’s best for her.” 

“You really don’t.” JJ said over his shoulder.

“I bet it has something to do with that damn John B. You can tell him that if he did anything to her, if he asked her out, or _whatever_ , I’m coming for him.” Mr. C called. 

JJ turned around. “A grown man coming for a teenager? I thought you were against that.”

Mr. C realized what he meant and looked at his cast briefly before catching himself. “I meant, I’m keeping him away from her if that’s the case. It’s an expression.”

“Well, maybe work on your expressions. I know you forgot, but here on the Cut, we take threats literally. Just stay away from us.” JJ said, walking away.

“JJ! Was it him or not?” He called after him.

“No. Leave us alone.” He answered without turning around. “You’re on the wrong part of the island. You should be looking on Figure Eight if you want your answer.”

* * *

  
  


“You do the talking.” Pope told JJ as they waited outside of Heyward’s for Kie to finish at The Wreck and meet them later that day. JJ had told Pope what had happened and he had freaked out as usual. He told JJ that Kie needed to know that her parents were trying to get involved and he had agreed. 

“Done! I thought I was going to die there, I swear. Do you know how many people asked for straws today? Do they live under rocks? How are you really still asking for straws knowing what it does to the environment?” Kie said as she walked up to them. 

JJ and Pope looked at each other and she noticed immediately. “Oh my god, what did y’all do? What’s wrong now?”

“Look, Kie, I know you don’t want to hear this. But just listen to me for a second, okay?” JJ said 

“Love it when things start like that, JJ. That’s an awesome way to end my day. What is it now?” Kie said, giving him a look.

“Ok, so your dad was asking me about what’s going on with you. He knows something is up, Kie.” JJ admitted.

“He was _what?_ ! Asking _you_? What the fuck, JJ? If you said anything, I swear to god, I will kill you. Slowly.” Kie said loudly.

“He fucking cornered me in the parking lot of the convenience store earlier! I tried to leave but he made me talk to him about how you’ve been acting sad and moody or whatever and I lied and said I had no idea. He threatened John B.’s life again.”

“What the hell? They said they wanted me home for dinner tonight but I didn’t think it would be because of this shit!” Kie said, pulling out her phone.

JJ looked at Pope and nodded his head at him. They had talked before about approaching Kie with the idea of getting help from her parents and while JJ had been reluctant at first, he wanted Topper to pay for what he had done. And Rafe, but he was out of school and it was harder. 

JJ hated the idea of involving parents and of Kie going down that route, but he agreed with Pope that it was the only chance they had of getting real revenge and for things to really stop being said about Kie and done to her.

“Listen, Kie. We were talking and maybe you should tell your parents about what happened. Maybe they could report it and get Topper to have some kind of action taken within the school? Not life ruining, but still a consequence?” Pope said, looking at her nervously.

“Oh my god. Seriously, JJ? You’ve got Pope still on your revenge mission, too? Just leave it alone. It’s over, we handled it, let it drop. I’m not going to my parents with this.” Kie said, glaring at him.

“I think you should tell them, Kie! They can’t get away with this. And it’s not just Topper. He and Rafe started it, but all those other assholes in your class need to pay too.” JJ said, watching as Kie shook her head.

“You think I should do _what_? Tell my parents that they were right all along and that being a girl with a bunch of guy friends means everyone will call you a slut and a whore and say you’re sleeping with them all?” 

“No, Kie. Just hear us out. He needs to pay and-” JJ started before Kie cut him off. 

“Just stop, JJ, please. I know you’re pissed and it means a lot to me. And it means so much to me that you guys planned that out and did it all to help me. But I don’t want my parents to know about this. They already hate that I hang out with you guys and this will just prove their point, okay?”

“It won’t, Kie. It’s not about us, it’s about you getting called names and being mistreated. Just try talking to your parents.” JJ said, getting louder. Pope took a step towards him to try to calm him down. 

“Oh, I’m getting mistreated and not reporting it to an adult? What happened to your nose? We’ve all got problems, JJ. And I’ve stepped back and resisted getting revenge on your abuser cause I know the alternative for you. Do the same for me and respect my choice.”

“It’s completely different, Kie. And you know it. That’s not even fair.” JJ said back, turning away slightly to try to hide his face.

Pope had been turning his head back and forth between them like he was watching a tennis match. 

“It’s not different, JJ. How would you feel if I went to the police and reported your Dad because I wanted him to pay, even when you asked me not to?” Kie said as he looked away.

“That wouldn’t help me! This is all to help you!” JJ yelled back.

“Wait, JJ. I think you have a good point.” He said before turning to Kie when she opened her mouth. “And you know I agree with you too, Kie.” 

“Whatever, Pope. I’m out. I’m sorry I even brought it up again. I guess I’ll just go back to my problems. That I can’t even smoke away because of my fucking cast.” He said as he angrily started to walk away. 

“JJ, stop! Just come back and we can talk about this. Or hang out or whatever.” Pope called. 

JJ ignored him and walked away. He looked over his shoulder and saw Kie gesturing with her hands and talking fast before dragging Pope over towards The Wreck where her car was. Pope looked over his shoulder again at him and JJ turned away. He couldn’t deal with any more right now.

* * *

“Literally everything is going wrong right now.” JJ said to John B. as he hopped on the boat with him and Pope the next day. Pope had come over after the incident with Kie and neither JJ or Kie had made a move to talk to each other since. JJ had asked Pope to talk to her for him, but he had refused. 

“Do what I’ve been doing. Ignore it and focus on the moment.” John B. said, starting the boat while JJ untied it. “Denial is not just a river in Asia, JJ. I have a luxury condo on it and live there full time.”

“Oh my god. The Nile River is in Africa you idiot. And that’s not healthy. JJ, don’t listen to him.” Pope said from where he was sitting. John B. sped off and Pope’s ankle fell off the side where he was resting it. “Seriously, John B.? Why don’t you just break it next time. Clearly you want to.”

“Sorry, Pope. You cool?” John B. asked, barely looking over as he gestured for JJ to pass him a beer.

“Hello? Back to me. Do you know who you’re talking to, bro? I ignore all my shit like ninety eight percent of the time. I’m just telling you that everything is going wrong, in case you were wondering.” JJ said.

“It’s cool. Let’s just have fun fucking around out here. Don’t think about it and it will go away. Easy.” John B. said as he sped up.

JJ forced himself to laugh but he looked at John B. out of the corner of his eye and wondered if he really was just that good at pretending everything was fine or if he was delusional. He had been a lot happier lately, and JJ had thought it was fake, but now he was wondering.

“By the way, Peterkin called.” John B. said. “She wants to talk to us about some stuff that has ‘come to her attention’. I’m guessing she called your house too. She wants us both to call her and set up a time and place to meet and go over our options.”

“What?! Why are you just now mentioning this? How does that happen and you just casually bring it up like you both aren’t about to get arrested and sent to juvie?” Pope yelled from the front of the boat. 

JJ agreed but played it off. He only really cared if John B. got in trouble. He didn’t care about Peterkin and her hunches. He was confident that she had nothing on him and he knew that her suspicions didn’t matter and she couldn’t arrest him based on them. 

“She doesn’t have shit. She just wants to make us think she does so we spill our guts. I’ve seen Law and Order, I know my rights.” He said, getting a beer out of the cooler and passing it to Pope to open for him.

“Are you kidding me? She probably has tons of shit on you! There’s no way she doesn’t. I told you you were going too far. Did you return the camera? Tell me you returned the camera.” Pope said, refusing to open the beer.

JJ turned to John B. and passed it to him and he opened it before drinking it himself. JJ snatched it back. 

“Relax, Pope. If she had proof, she’d be arresting us, not asking for us to meet up with her. I’m with JJ. She’s got nothing.” John B. said, trying to steer and grab the beer back from JJ.

“Didn’t hear an answer to my question.” Pope said, raising his eyebrows.

“Don’t worry about the camera, Pope. Did you talk to Kie for me?” JJ asked, sitting down across from him and reaching into the cooler for another beer. He threw it at John B. and he barely caught it in time. “Nice catch, John B.” 

“No, don’t change the subject. I’m not talking to Kie for you. You both need to work it out.” Pope said, rolling his eyes. “Where’s the camera?”

“In a secret location.” JJ answered, smirking at John B. who laughed back at him.

“So it’s in John B.’s closet? That’s not a secret location you idiots.” Pope said. “John B, turn around. How did you actually take us out here when she’s after you guys? You need to go put the camera back.”

“That’s a future me problem, Pope. Current me is out here to relax. Shut up and have a beer.” John B. said. JJ laughed and he smiled at him.

“I’m living the nightmare. Again.” Pope said, shaking his head. “Where’s Kie when you need her?”

“Pissed at JJ.” John B. supplied, shrugging.

“I’m sorry for wanting justice.” JJ answered, annoyed that no one else seemed to care.

“We all want justice. But not through her parents. That’s totally lame. She handled it how she wanted to. Let’s see if it stops it and then reevaluate.” John B. said.

“I don’t have a choice. Unless you want to get some justice on our own.” JJ said, pretending to punch someone with his cast. 

“No! Are you joking? You guys are not going near them again. Call Peterkin, return the camera and stop stealing and punching people.” Pope said, eyes bugging out.

“Fine. But I’m not telling her the truth.” JJ said.

“Duh. Lie till we die.” John B said to him.

“Did you make that up?” JJ asked, impressed.

“Yeah. My mind is always churning. It’s like a factory.” John B. shrugged, smiling at him.

“Pope, write that down will you? We could put that on stuff and sell it and make a killing.” JJ said, turning to Pope. 

“Your arm you write with isn’t broken! You write it down! I’m about to swim home.” Pope said.

“You want me to help push you in?” JJ asked him, going towards him. 

“Touch me and I’ll hit you with my crutch.” Pope said, holding it up like a weapon. 

“Hit me and I won’t give the camera back.” JJ shot back, smirking at how smart he was. 

“Get me off this boat.” Pope said, torn between laughing and crying.

“Nope. You’re stuck with us.” JJ answered.

"For how long?" Pope asked, pretending to cry.

"Forever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, Kie and JJ aren't actually mad at each other. He just wants justice since right now he has no control over anything else in his life and he wants her to have some over hers (even though she did when she chose what to do). 
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)


	12. Lying and Stealing Are Next Door Neighbors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JJ helps Kie finish solving her problem, Heyward is onto JJ and John B, Uncle T comes and JJ finally faces the music with Sheriff Peterkin.

JJ’s phone rang and he pretended not to rush to answer it when he saw it was Kie.

“Hey JJ.” Kie said as he answered. Pope had told him she wanted to apologize to him for overreacting and that she was going to call. 

“Hey Kie.”

“What’s up?” She asked him when he didn’t say anything else.

“Um, you called me? Pope said you were ready earlier, so I’m listening.” JJ answered.

“Ready? For what?” 

“To apologize to me. Duh.” JJ said.

“I’m sorry, what? You think _I_ should apologize to _you_? You owe me an apology! Pope said you agreed to!” Kie said.

“What? Pope told me you were gonna call and said you were ready to apologize to me!” 

“Well, clearly Pope was lying to both of us. So you’re not ready to say sorry?” Kie asked.

“Why would I say sorry? I didn’t do anything!”

“Is that Kie? Just apologize, you dumbass.” John B. said as he walked in on the last part of JJ’s sentence.

“You didn’t do anything? You totally overreacted, JJ!” JJ knew she had a point, but he didn’t want to be the one to apologize first.

“No, I didn’t! Why are you all ganging up on me? I just wanted to help!” JJ said back to them, getting wound up again.

“JJ, look. Listen to me. I get that you wanted to help. And I appreciate it, okay? But you weren’t respecting me when I asked you to give it a rest and you kept going.” Kie said through the phone.

“I did give it a rest! I literally haven’t done anything since.” He said. John B. stopped and crossed his arms, shaking his head at him. He threw an empty can at him, but he just dodged it with a smirk.

“Ok, so you promise you won’t?” Kie asked him.

“Fine, Kie. I promise. I’m sorry, okay? I should have listened to you.” He said, turning away to avoid John B.’s sarcastic pat on the back like a proud dad.

“Thanks. I’m sorry, too. So now that we’re all good, I’m coming over and we can all get high. Because I need to get away from my parents right now.” 

“You know I'm down. Are you gonna pick up Crutches or no?” JJ asked, gesturing towards his bag for John B. to get the weed.

“Don’t call him Crutches, JJ. But yeah, I’ll pick him up. Even if I have to drag him away from his homework. We’ll be there in twenty.” She said.

“Alright, sounds good. We’ll start rolling.” He said as he hung up and turned to John B. 

“John B, start rolling some fat doobies man.” JJ said and John B. saluted him.

Twenty minutes later, Pope was complaining as John B. helped him sit on the pullout.

“Why? Why did I get kidnapped just to be surrounded by all of you getting high? I have work to do! Do you know how many things I could be accomplishing right now?” He said, poking John B. with the end of his crutch when he tried to shove a joint towards him.

“Pope, smoke up. You need to relax, man. Trust me. You think I’m thinking about homework after a few hits?” JJ said, trying to offer him his too. “I’ll let you in on a secret: I’m not thinking about nothing. It’s like totally blank up there, bro.”

“You literally never think about homework! Also, I don’t appreciate being kidnapped when I can’t even leave.” Pope said, turning his crutch towards JJ. JJ backed up with his hands up.

“Kidnapped? You were rescued! Kie said she had to pry you out of there, away from your books! That’s no way to live, bro. You’re sick and we have the cure.” JJ said.

“Oh, I’m sick? Really? I have to sit here and watch you guys get high! That’s sick.” Pope said, leaning back and covering his eyes with his arm. 

“First of all, there is more than enough for everyone. Second of all: if you won’t get baked, get wasted. It’s Friday.” John B. said, shrugging. “It’s not that hard.”

“Yeah, relax, Pope. It’s like you’ve never been around a sturfer before.” Kie said, laughing.

JJ looked at her and smiled, knowing she was already feeling it. “A sturfer?” 

“A sturfer surfoned.” She said, laughing again. “Oh my god. A stoned surfer.” John B. laughed too and JJ joined in.

“Oh my god. That’s literally the least funny thing in the world. Pass me a beer, John B. I can’t stay here without something.” Pope said, reaching out a hand without opening his eyes. 

“That’s what I’m fucking talking about! Get him faded.” JJ said, slapping Pope on his shoulder as he walked over to him.

“Pope, chill and enjoy. You look like you have a stick up your ass.” Kie laughed when he made a face to respond to JJ's comment.

“He looks like he has a whole tree up there.” John B. said and JJ laughed and accidentally knocked over his can of beer as he tried to balance on the other side of the pullout. 

Kie laughed harder and John B. got up to try to help JJ clean it up but ended up tripping and falling on top of Kie. She pushed him off and he fell with a bang to the floor and they all just laughed more. 

“Oh. My. God. Get me out of here! Your dumbassery is contagious.” Pope said, trying to hide a smile. 

“Nah, we can be serious, hang on, Pope. Kie, chill. John B., get up and help me.” JJ said, trying to stop laughing and failing. 

John B. was laughing too hard to get up and right when he pulled himself up, Kie pushed him with her foot and he fell back down with a bang. JJ and Kie laughed at him again before Pope reached out a hand and pulled him up. 

“Really? I’m the only one who can help him up?” Pope said to them.

“Wait, wait, wait. I just had a brainwave, guys. What if we made ice cream?” JJ said, holding his hands up to his brain to show he was getting a good idea. 

John B. and Kie nodded at JJ. “Where do you come up with these ideas, bro? So hungry right now.” John B. said, getting up and going towards the kitchen.

“Nah, let me finish my thought, John B. Not normal ice cream. What if we made ice cream? But we made it out of weed?” He said, looking at them for their reaction.

"Would we smoke it or lick it?" Kie asked. 

"Either one, Kie. That would be the beauty of it." He answered.

John B.’s house phone rang and they all stared at it, mouths ajar for a minute before Pope gestured at John B. “Answer your phone, John B!”

“You answer it, Pope!” John B. said, snapping out of his trance.

“Why would I answer your phone? Just let it go to voicemail if you can’t handle it.” Pope said.

“Oh yeah. I always forget about that shit.” John B. laughed. JJ laughed too just because, but he couldn't help but notice how different it was not to see John B. immediately rush to the phone.

They stopped laughing when the message started recording. “It’s your friend Sheriff Peterkin, calling now for the fourth time. I’m calling again for my little friend, John B. I’m not gonna be calling again. If I don’t hear from you I’m going to be out there soon and I’ll be bringing you into the station no matter what. Your choice. Call me back or be tak-”

She was cut off by JJ walking over and answering the phone. Pope had started frantically waving his arms at him as soon as he saw him walk towards it and was mouthing at him to hang up. 

“Sheriff Peterkin?” He said, scratching his eyebrow. He winked at John B. but was too stoned to do it quickly and it looked more like something was in his eye. 

“That’s what I said.” 

“Sorry, John B.’s not home right now. I just came over to water his flowers and heard you and you sounded sad that he didn’t answer so I picked up and now here we are.” He said.

“Water his- what? Where is he? Cut the crap.”

“Look, he’s away with his uncle somewhere for a few days. I’ll tell him you called.” JJ said, giving John B. a thumbs up. Pope kept waving his hands as he tried to get to his feet and get over to the phone.

“Cut the bullshit. I just talked to his uncle, he’s on his way back from his trip down in Louisiana. But he doesn’t have John B. with him, so put him on the phone. And does anyone live at your house? I’ve called there four times, too. No answer, voicemail is full.” She said. JJ blinked at John B. and did the only thing he could think of: he hung up. 

“Why! Why would you hang up on the literal sheriff? You dumbass! Why did you answer his phone?” Pope cried as soon as the phone was in it’s holder. 

“She was onto us. I didn’t want to listen.” JJ said, shrugging. 

“Hello? What did she say?! This is serious! Kie, come on! Help me out here!” Pope said, hobbling back over to the pullout. 

“Ok, ok. JJ, what did she say?” Kie said, trying to be serious but laughing when John B. hiccupped.

“Just the usual. She wants to talk to us, she’s onto us, his uncle is on his way back, blah blah blah.”

“Wait, what?” John B. said, snapping up for a second. “Uncle T is coming back?”

“She said he was on his way back. I don’t know if it’s true. You know cops lie like one hundred percent of the time.” JJ said, shrugging again. 

“Oh my god...JJ! Did she know it was you? Aren’t you in trouble too? What did she say?” Pope prompted, waving his hands to get him to hurry up.

“I don’t know, just some shit about how she called my house and no one answered. Thank god for my dad’s pills.” He said, pretending to send up a prayer.

“That’s not funny, JJ. This is serious!” Pope yelled.

“I know, I know, ok? I wasn’t joking. He’s been out like a baby all week.” He said, not sure why Pope thought he was lying. 

“JJ…” Kie said, trying to help Pope and be serious.

“Kiara…..” He said back, laughing when she threw a pillow at him. 

“Pope’s right. You guys need to call her and go see her before she hunts you down.” Kie said.

“Come on, Kie. We don’t want to.” John B. said.

“Yeah, we don’t want to. Let us live.” JJ added.

The phone rang again and JJ just picked it up and dropped it back down again. Kie laughed and he smirked at her.

“You liked that?” He asked her. 

“Oh my god. Okay, listen. We clearly can’t talk when all of you are shit-faced. And I can’t even get home now, thanks to Kie getting stoned. So I guess it’s ok if we just have fun tonight and then worry about this first thing in the morning. But we’re not going to the Boneyard. I’m not dealing with more fighting and drama.” Pope said. 

“Holy shit. I never thought I would see the day! You are suggesting that we get faded? You’re actually a savage, Pope. You truly are.” JJ said excitedly.

“I can’t take it anymore. Pass me a beer, John B.” Pope said, rolling his eyes with a smile.

* * *

Four hours later, JJ realized that Kie was still upset. 

They had all gotten even more wasted, JJ and John B. barely stopped from trying to have a boat race in the night. Pope had finally fallen asleep on the sofa and John B. had abandoned them to go hang with Madison after she picked him up in her beat up car. JJ didn’t know how she could enjoy hanging out with a cross faded John B. when she was sober, but to each their own. 

“Move over.” Kie said, putting one hand on JJ’s shoulder and the other reaching out for the hammock to hold it steady as she tried to join him on it. 

“Woah, Kie. Shit. Wait, Kie. Kie!” He said, getting louder and trying to get off the hammock as it wobbled and flipped him off of it. They both fell into the dirt.

“Ow.” He said, cradling his arm. “Thanks a lot, Kie. I love getting flipped off hammocks and having my arm snap off the ground like that. Really makes the night complete.”

“Shit. Sorry, JJ. Here, let me help you.” She said, struggling to get up. JJ got up before her and helped her up instead. She climbed onto the hammock and patted next to her. 

“I think it’s better if I go over here.” He said, not wanting to get flipped again. She grabbed his arm and pulled him onto it and he barely managed to stop them from flipping again.

“Shit, Kie. What the hell? It’s like you want to hurt me. I said sorry, didn’t I?” He joked, moving his feet so they weren’t near her head.

She didn’t laugh and JJ looked over at her again, surprised that she was staring at him, unfocused. “Hello? Earth to Kie? Are you mad at me?” 

She shook her head a little and forced a laugh. “What? No, dumbass. I’m just wasted. Is Pope asleep or was he faking it?”

“Nah, he’s passed out. He’s been spending too much time with his homework and not enough time with us. He’s become a total lightweight.” JJ said, laughing. 

Kie didn’t laugh and sat up and grabbed JJ’s vape from his hands.

“Woah. All you had to do was ask, Kie.” He said, laughing again. She didn’t join in as she started, blowing a smoke right at him.

“You got better.” He noticed. “But let me show you how a pro does it.” 

“No, I need it.” She said, holding it away from him. “I’m stressed out.”

“Why?” He asked, trying to keep his eyes open and failing. He laid all the way down and felt her shove his foot when it got too close to her head. 

“My parents have literally been all over me the past couple of days. Like ever since they made me come home for dinner and you and I had our fight. They set up a conference with the stupid Kook principal. What did you say to my dad? I meant to ask for more details." She said, nudging his cheek with her toe.

“Gross. Get your dirty sock off my face. It’s freezing, by the way. We might need to spoon to keep warm.” He offered, already bracing himself for the kick that came to his shoulder. “Ow. I was just trying to be a gentleman, Kie. No need to attack.”

“You don’t know the definition. Now stop changing the subject. My dad. What did you say and what did he say?”

JJ tried and failed to hold in a groan. This was one of the last topics he wanted to talk about. “You know I get high to get away from these topics, Kie?”

“Please, JJ. I need to be able to connect the dots on how much he actually knows.” Kie’s big toe was gently stroking his shoulder and he focused on the feeling as he answered.

“I told you already. He was just asking me what was wrong with you, I told him I wasn’t going to tell him anything because obviously if you wanted him to know, he would know. And he got mad and said I wasn’t a good friend if I didn’t and then threatened John B.’s life again. The usual.” He shrugged, feeling sad when her toe fell off. 

“Oh my god- that is so typical. He literally told me that you gave him some hint and told him to look on Figure Eight and at the Kook Academy for what was bothering me. I knew he was lying. Of course he just made that up!” She said angrily.

JJ avoided her eyes and didn’t say anything, tired from the weed but still feeling an underlying nervousness come up. 

“JJ? He was lying, right? You didn’t tell him that, right? Because that would be totally messed up.” She prompted when he stayed silent. 

“Look, Kie-” He started, looking at his socks instead of at her face. 

“Oh my god. JJ! We literally just squashed our beef. Why would you lie to me? Why would you give him any information? I can’t believe you! _You’re_ the reason my parents emailed the principal to have a conference about me?!” She said, trying to get up.

JJ sat up and grabbed her knee, trying to stop her. “Look, Kie, let me talk, okay? Let me explain. He was saying that it was all John B.’s fault and stuff and I just wanted him to know that he was looking on the wrong side of the island for once! He pointed a gun at John B. last weekend. This isn’t funny!”

“A gun? What the hell are you talking about? My dad doesn’t even have a gun!” Kie said back, knocking his hand off her knee. 

“Well, it was with his fingers, but-”

“A finger gun? Really? That’s enough of a threat that you had to share my personal information with him? How would you like it if I told him the truth about your dad since he’s always fucking asking me? Which is weird by the way. Like, he literally doesn’t care that John B. lives alone but he’s asked me about your dad like three times. And I cover for you each time. Maybe I shouldn’t.” Kie said, finally standing up and stumbling a little. JJ grabbed her elbow to keep her steady and she shoved it off.

He had no desire to fight with Kie or open up that argument again. “I’m sorry, okay Kie? I didn’t think he would do shit with your principal! I just wanted to get him off The Cut! Do you want me to talk to him again? And cover for you? I can say you were mad at me for some shit? Which isn’t too far off from the truth.”

Kie was silent for a second, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes before reaching out and pushing his shoulder. 

“Fuck! Why do you have to make it so hard to be mad at you?”

JJ shrugged, trying to hold back a smirk. She was the only one who thought that. Everyone else had absolutely no problem being mad at him.

“Do you want me to set him straight? I’ll make up something.” He offered again. 

“Would you really do that for me? I know you hate being around him.” She said, laying back down on the hammock.

“I don’t give a shit. I’ll do it if it gets them off your case. I’ll come up with something, don’t worry.” He said back. 

“Ok, but nothing too crazy, please. I’m so pissed at them. Why does he keep bothering you? Seriously? Like we’ve been friends for four years and he never wanted anything to do with you guys and now he keeps asking about you and trying to get info out of you. It’s weird.” Kie said.

“I don’t know, I guess I remind him of himself when he was younger. You know, before he went full Kook.”

Kie burst out laughing. “You? What? Did he actually say that?”

JJ smiled. “I’m basically your dad, Kie.”

“Gross. What’s this idiot talking about?” Pope said as he hobbled over to them, yawning.

“Kie’s dad and how he’s obsessed with me. Cause he used to be like me.” JJ laughed. 

“There’s no way he was like you. Like, I refuse to believe that.” Kie said, putting her sock in his face.

“Ask him. He’ll be like “oh yeah, Kie, I was just like him. I used to be fucking cool and I used to smoke dank nugs and I used to mack on-” JJ was cut off by Pope reaching over and covering his mouth with his hand.

“Thanks, Pope. What the hell, JJ? Don’t sexualize my dad.” Kie said, shuddering.

“Can we go inside? It’s freezing.” Pope said, not removing his hand.

“Yep. Help me up, JJ.” Kie said, getting up. Pope dropped his hand and headed inside slowly. 

“I’m sorry, Kie. Seriously. I didn’t think this would actually make more problems for you. I’ll set it straight.” JJ said to her as they followed Pope.

She put her arm around him as they walked. “I”ll get over it. But I’m gonna need mad amounts of weed to deal with my parents. So you better provide.”

“That’s my middle name. Provider.”

* * *

  
  


JJ got high crouched behind the dumpster at The Wreck. Not his finest place or moment, but he needed to be high before sacrificing himself to the wolf for Kie.

Once he was decently high, he closed his bag and put it on his back, making his way to the front door of the restaurant. He walked in and had to walk directly up to Mr. C when no one acknowledged him. JJ had chosen their busiest time on purpose, hoping that no one would be able to hear their conversation or that Mr. C would be quick to leave once he was done talking. 

“Mr. C? Can we talk?” He asked, almost laughing when the man whipped around, eyebrows raised up high at the sight of him. 

“Damn, you scared me- of course we can talk. You wanna come into my office?” He asked, holding his arm out to gesture towards it. 

JJ did not want to go anywhere near his office, especially after what had happened there last time. But he knew he had to if he was going to be able to talk to him so he nodded and followed him in. 

Mr. C almost closed the door, but pushed it only halfway, looking at JJ to see if it was ok. JJ ignored him and threw himself down in the chair he had sat in last time, looking at the picture of Kie in a tutu and pulling out his phone to take a picture of it for Pope and John B. 

“This needs to be seen.” He said as an explanation as he took it and shoved his phone back in his pocket. 

“What’s up? Thanks for the tip, by the way- even if you didn’t mean to be helpful. Kiara’s mother and I made an appointment to talk to the principal and see what’s been going on at school.” Mr. C said, sitting down across the desk from him.

JJ barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. “Yeah, so about that. It wasn’t a tip, it was a lie. You don’t need to look there or meet with any principals to hear why Kie is upset. It’s all my fault.” 

Mr. C’s face got a little harder but he tried to cover it up. “I’m sure that’s not true. What happened?”

“I don’t want to reveal too much cause it’s personal. But let’s just say, Kie and I got close and it didn’t go far- we realized it wasn’t us and we stopped but Kie’s been upset ever since. And so have I. I messed up big time.” JJ put both hands on the arms of the chair, ready to push himself up and bolt. He knew Kie would hate this excuse, but he also knew it would get Mr. C to leave him alone and leave her alone about the Kook Academy. 

“I’m sorry. You _what?_ Did you actually just come into my restaurant and bring me in here to talk about how you got handsy with my daughter and broke her heart?” Mr. C was pissed. JJ stood up and tried to go towards the door. 

“No one broke anyone's heart- it was mutual. We’re cool now. We realized we were better as friends.” He said, glad his plan worked but surprised at how angry he was. He guessed he didn’t like him as much as they all thought he did. 

“I should have known. God, we’ve been so stupid letting her spend her time with three teenage boys. Goddamn it! You better hope she says that’s all that happened. And here I was thinking it was that damn John B. I’m so stupid! Of course it was you! Get out of here!” Mr. C said, pointing at the door. 

JJ took a step towards it. “What? You’re okay having me work for you but I’m not good enough for your daughter?” He asked. He knew he was pushing it but deep down he was kind of hurt that he was so upset by the idea of him and Kie together. 

“You can be a good kid. I’m sure you are. But I don’t want that kind of life for Kiara. She’s going to go to college, she’s going to explore the world and that’s not what she needs to be around. Now get out of here- I have a restaurant to run and I can’t waste anymore of my time on your lies.” He said, taking a step towards JJ and the door.

JJ took a step back, angry at being called a liar and being told he was basically trash that shouldn’t mix with Kie. 

“You know what? Screw you. I’m gonna explore the world too. I’m gonna be a pro-surfer. Pope’s gonna go to college and be the best doctor in the world. John B.’s gonna do something fucking amazing too. And if Kie wants us to, we’ll be her friends forever. And you can’t control her.” He said, taking another step back. He didn’t want to turn his back on him.

“I can stop her as long as she’s under eighteen. Do you know how much time we wasted fighting with Kiara about this? Setting up the meeting with the principal? I asked you about this and you lied straight to my face and it was you all along!” Mr. C yelled. 

“You fucking cornered me! You made me say something! It’s not my fault you forced me to talk! Just leave me and my friends alone!” He said, getting angry back.

“Don’t worry. I want nothing to do with you boys. And I want Kiara to distance herself from all of you. It’s not good for her. She needs to focus on making friends at school and leave these childish friendships behind.” Mr. C said.

“You know what? You suck. You Kooks are all the same. You don’t even know the half of it and you think you know everything. Kie isn’t gonna listen to you.” 

He turned and walked out of the restaurant, both unsuprised and surprised when Kie’s dad didn’t try to stop him. 

* * *

“What’s up, bro? You wanna ditch? I got a good tip about a place we can hit.” JJ said, looking over his shoulder as he walked up to John B. at Heyward’s store. He was pissed from his encounter with Mr. C, but he felt relieved that he had gotten her parents to back off from the school topic and hoped it would help her a little bit. 

“John B, move those over to the back! I know I told you that two hours ago.” Heyward’s voice called across the store. John B. rolled his eyes before picking up a box. 

“Shhh. Shut up, JJ. I can’t ditch, I have to work off my bail. No more stealing either, okay? We’ve been caught, in case you didn’t notice.” He said quietly before walking away.

JJ rolled his eyes and followed him, stopping when he saw Heyward sitting at the table in the backroom. He reached up to see if he could slap the top of the doorframe and cheered when he made it. 

“Hey, Heyward.” He said. “Can I steal John B. back? He’s been here for like nine hours already.”

Heyward slowly turned his head to look at him, giving him a death glare. JJ thought that was probably what Pope saw when he asked to hang out with them and reminded himself to be nicer to him next time he couldn't make it. 

“I know you didn’t just ask that. He’s been here for two hours and he’s supposed to be here all day. It’s an eight hour shift. Now either join him or find something else to do for the next six hours.” He said, looking back down at the papers in front of him.

“Damn. I mean I’ve got this broken arm but I guess I can help him for a few minutes.” JJ responded, eager to walk away from Heyward when he was in work mode. 

“Aw, see? So you are a sweetheart like my wife's always telling me.” Heyward said, smiling at him. He rolled his eyes and tried to hide a smile as he walked away.

“He says you’ve got six more hours, John B! That’s like the entire day. I’m so bored, man. I need to tell you all about Kie's fucking dad. And I can’t hit up this Kook mansion without you.” He whispered when he reached John B.

“JJ, stop! We are not stealing anything else. My uncle is coming tomorrow just to deal with this shit. We’ve got to return the camera and hope she doesn’t have anything else on us. No more stealing. Anything.” John B. said, a little bit too loudly for JJ’s comfort in an almost empty store so close to where Heyward was sitting.

“Shhh! John B, shut up!” He said, looking towards the back room where Heyward was. He started to walk towards the door to leave when he heard Heyward’s chair scrap back as he got up. 

“No! I’m not going to shut up. You better not go and do more, JJ. I seriously won’t be able to help you if you do. Just chill out and get a normal job again, okay?” John B. said, cussing when he almost dropped a box on his foot.

“He doesn’t need to shut up because he was already so damn loud we all heard. Stealing? What the hell? You need money, you work here and I’ll pay you. I know you know better.” Heyward said, walking out into the room again. 

JJ quickly made it to the door and put a hand on it to push it open, barely turning back to look at them. “What? I think you heard him wrong, Heyward. He just meant that you were stealing his time from him by making him work here, that’s it. Say sorry, John B.”

“Don’t open that door. Come here.” Heyward’s voice carried over to him as he tried to step out. He almost kept walking out, but he didn’t want to do that to Heyward after all the help he had given them, even if he was scared of going closer.

He dropped the door and turned around, putting on a fake smile. “Yeah?”

“Both of you, come in here. I don’t like what I’m hearing.”

John B. sighed and put down his box, going over to JJ and dragging him with him to where Heyward had disappeared. 

“Have you been stealing? Be honest.” Heyward said to them, crossing his arms and leaning against the table. 

JJ felt John B. looking at him and knew he was going to open up so he cut him off. “No. We would never. You just heard him wrong, I swear.”

Heyward raised an eyebrow at him before looking at John B. “Look, you’re here working off bail. You’re way too young for me to say those words. Not that I ever want to say them. You’ve already gotten in trouble with the law, even if they did let you off. If you boys are doing more, it will be beyond what your families or me or anyone else can do for you. So, cut the bullshit and if you’ve done something, fix it and never do it again. Lying and stealing are next door neighbors.”

“Yes, sir.” John B. said, trying to give him one of his fake smiles. JJ gave him one too. 

“We won’t, Heyward. We aren’t doing anything, like I said. But if John B. ever gets the urge, I’ll shut him down right away, I swear.” 

“If _I_ get the urge? Really?” John B. said to him, reaching out to push him.

“No one's getting any urges. If you do, you come here and you work off the urge. Or go surfing or whatever you all do together. No stealing. Anything. I don’t care if it’s a bag of chips or a boat. Do you understand?” Heyward said, looking between them both.

“Aye aye, captain.” JJ said, saluting him. 

“Yes, sir.” John B. said again.

“Good. Now JJ, why don’t you go find Pope? John B. won’t be free for awhile and I don’t know how helpful you can be with one arm, son.”

“Are you telling me that Pope is free right now? And to go find him? What the fuck am I doing here? See you, John B! Sucks to be you!” He said, turning to go bother Pope instead. 

“And don’t get my son involved in any shit!” Heyward called after him.

JJ waved a hand over his shoulder before getting on his bike and riding to Pope’s house. 

* * *

JJ was at John B.’s house the next day when a random car rolled down the driveway. John B. rolled his eyes before standing up. 

“I didn’t think he would actually show. He’s been lying to me for like a month and a half now about coming back. Peterkin must have scared him.”

JJ had briefly seen Uncle T the last time he came but he didn’t remember John B. ever speaking of him like that until now. He understood though. It sucked when someone kept saying they would come back or call and never did. 

“Is he gonna be pissed?” He asked, wondering if he should stay and help or leave.

John B. laughed but it wasn’t his usual happy laugh. “Pissed? He doesn’t give a shit. He’ll be annoyed that he had to come check in.”

The car parked and his uncle got out, opening the back door and grabbing his stuff. 

“Johnny, come help me with my shit!” He called to John B. 

“Hey, Uncle T. I didn’t think you’d show up so the place is a shithole. You can direct your complaints to JJ though.” John B. said, walking over to help him. 

“You know I don’t care about a mess. How are you? I’m just staying a few days, okay? I’ve got to get back out to Louisiana. We were working on a big project.” Uncle T said, throwing a bag into John B.’s arms and grabbing the rest of his stuff, kicking his door shut. 

“Hey. How are ya?” Teddy said to JJ as he passed him on his way in.

“Yep, good. What do you do in Louisiana?” JJ asked, following them inside. 

“Ah, you know. A little of this, a little of that. It’s cheap and we’ve been in New Orleans the past few months. Shit, boys. How much are you smoking?” Teddy said, making a face as they made it onto the porch. 

“Smoking? Nah, John B. just doesn’t like to take out the trash until the last second. But don’t worry, that’s why they made Febreze.” JJ explained.

“Please. This mess is courtesy of JJ Maybank.” John B. said, opening the door to the living room. JJ shoved him. 

“Sorry, T. Uncle T? What’s your name, man? Teddy? I can clean it up real fast.” JJ said, walking over and picking up some bottles. “It wasn’t all me, by the way.”

“Shit, did you say Maybank? Are you Nicole and Luke’s kid?” Teddy asked, looking hard at JJ for the first time. 

“Yes.” JJ said, stomach sinking when he remembered what his dad had said about his mom and Teddy sleeping together.

“Hmm. They still together? Your dad almost knocked me out last month when I passed him, by the way- he hasn’t changed. How’s your mom?” Teddy asked. “You look like her, I can’t believe I didn’t notice you were her kid last time I was here.”

“No, sorry, she left a long time ago. You’ll have to find someone else to bang. She had a baby with some junkie. Unless you're into that.” JJ said angrily, walking towards the door to leave. "Also, aren't you supposed to be like living here and shit?" He got pissed on John B.'s behalf.

“Wait, what? What are you guys talking about? Bang? Uncle T, what? You slept with his mom?” John B. said, looking between him and JJ.

“Hey, hang on a second. No one’s banging anyone! I was just asking. Johnny, is he always so crabby?” He heard Uncle T say as he left the house. 

He got on his bike and drove off before John B. could catch up to what was happening, not sure where to go. He was driving towards the beach to just go smoke and relax when he heard a car close behind him. He looked over his shoulder for a second before cussing when he saw the sheriff’s car. He groaned out loud when he heard the siren go off and he pulled over.

He heard the cop get out and prayed that it wasn’t Peterkin. He turned to look and his fake smile dropped when he saw her. 

“This saves me some time. I was just heading towards your house to see if anyone actually lives there or not.” She said to him. 

“My house? Of course we live there! Why are you looking for me?” He asked, smiling again.

“Cut the crap. You know damn well that I’ve been looking for you and your little friend. I’ve got his uncle bringing him into the station tomorrow for a little talk. I was going to try to set something up with you and your dad for tomorrow but since I’ve got you right here, why don’t we head back to your house and I'll go over some things with you and we'll see if you can help me out?” She said, putting her hands on her hips. 

“With me? Nah, that’s not a good idea, Sheriff Peterkin. My dad’s working on a big project and it’ll be too loud there.” JJ said, terrified of bringing her anywhere near his house. His dad had more than enough illegal shit laying around on a good day. 

“It’s there or the station. You choose, chief.” She said.

He had no choice but to choose the station.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, he looked up as Peterkin opened the door to the room at the station he had been shoved into. He had seen enough police shows to know that she wanted to make him nervous by having him wait. 

"You got anything you want to get off your chest?” She said as she sat down across from him at the table with a thick file. 

“No, I can’t think of anything. Do you? You seem a little tense, Sheriff Peterkin. You might want to try taking a day off. Or surfing. Or getting a massage or some shit.” He said, shrugging and smirking at her. His eyes shot to the file when she opened it up and pushed photos from security cameras towards him and a list with his and John B.’s name at the top. 

“Do these two look familiar to you?” She said, pointing to what he knew was himself in several different photos. He was glad he had kept his hood up in all of them, but John B.’s hair and his shoes were dead giveaways. 

“Nah, but this one has good taste in shoes.” He laughed, pointing to himself in a picture. “And before you say one of your crazy police theories- I say we’re being framed. I mean come on, Sheriff Peterkin. Do you really think we would be stupid enough to go where there are clearly security cameras and steal?”

“I think I answered that when I brought you in here.” Peterkin answered, raising an uninterested eyebrow at him. “And in case you weren’t convinced, here’s what I’ve got that made the puzzle fit just right.”

She pushed a photo of him clearly stealing the camera they used to help Kie from the security footage at the Kook house. Him and John B. were both completely visible, smiling like idiots.

“Are you saying those chumps look like me and John B?” He asked. “Cause I still don’t see it.”

“I’m gonna be real straight with you then and see if you understand. I think you and your friend John B. need the _hell_ scared out of you. The things you’ve been dipping your hands into can get you a one way ticket to juvenile court or have you owing money that you can’t even conceive of and a record that will ruin your life before it’s even started.” She said, taking the pictures back and moving the list in front of him.

He decided to change tactics, knowing he was caught and started to blink a lot, willing tears to come. Getting pity was always his go to tactic when he was cornered by adults about things he didn’t want to talk about or confess to.

“I want you to take a minute to read over this and tell me if any of these items seem familiar.” She said, pushing it closer.

He held back a smile when she said that, knowing exactly what to say to get pity. He was silent for a few seconds before answering.

“I can’t.” He said, feeling a tear roll down his cheek.

“Why?” Peterkin asked, tone flat. He didn’t look up at her, focused on the list and getting more tears to come. 

“I can’t because I can’t fucking read, okay? Everyone always says it’s cause I’m dumb as shit.” 

She was silent for a second before taking the list from him. “I’ll read it to you, then.”

JJ clenched his jaw, annoyed that that hadn’t had more of an effect. He sniffed and kept his head down, wiping away tears. 

She rattled off the list of things he and John B. had stolen over the past two months and he shook his head at all of them. 

“So what I’m seeing is that I should bring John B. in right now instead. He's the ringleader?” She said, making like she was going to get up.

“No, wait! Wait, don’t do that- please Sheriff Peterkin! It was me. All of it was me. He didn’t want to, I swear. He didn’t do anything, I made him come with me, and that’s it. I stole all of it. I can give you some money and the camera, I promise. Just please leave him alone.” He said, genuinely feeling his anxiety spike at the thought of her shifting her attention over to John B.

“Now we’re getting somewhere. Where is it all?” She asked, crossing her arms.

He looked down again and wiped away a few more tears. He was barely having to fake it anymore, getting scared of what could happen to John B. if they were separated right now if one or both of them had to go to juvie.

“Do you know how hard it is? Watching your best friend try to scrounge up the money to help his uncle pay rent because the police gave up on his dad?” He said, wiping a tear off his face. 

“No one gave up on anyone.” She said.

“They did, though. So, I wanted to help him. I was just trying to be a good friend. I won’t do it again, I swear. Just please, give us another chance to prove it to you.” He said, looking up at her to beg. 

“Where’s the stuff?” She asked. 

“Can’t I just bring it all in tomorrow? Or tonight?” He asked, trying and failing to resist the urge to bounce his knee nervously. 

“You can tell me now or I can drive you to your house and you can watch me search it. I would suggest you just tell me where it is.” Peterkin said, pulling the list back and putting it in her file. 

“Ok, look Sheriff Peterkin, it’s at John B.’s but that’s just because I put it there, okay? He had nothing to do with it. He doesn’t even know it’s there, I swear.”

Peterkin was silent for a minute and JJ decided to keep crying and lay it on thick. “I’m sorry, okay? It’s just hard when you don’t have any money and it was just easier to take it all. It was wrong. I swear, I won’t do it again. You’ve got to believe me.”

“You think you’re the first teenager from The Cut I’ve had in here telling me the same story? I could have both of you arrested for trespassing, theft and more. There’s a reason I didn’t bring you in here in handcuffs. I believe in second chances and reform.” She said, looking at him hard. He had a feeling she didn’t buy his tears so he kept them coming.

He didn’t answer right away, wiping his tears away. “You’re the first person to give me a second chance.” He lied. All his life he had been given second chances. He was good at lying and making up stories that were just sad enough to get him pity but not sad enough for anyone to take action to help him out of his situation. 

“Well, that’s the only chance I’m giving. Once I have the items, I’ll have someone checking on both of you to make sure you’re at school everyday. I also want proof that you have jobs. Normal little teenage jobs. And if we ever have to bring you in here again, it'll be in handcuffs and you’ll be paying bail or going to Juvie. Do you understand?”

He nodded right away. He didn’t look up. “You won’t regret it, I promise.”

“Oh, I won’t be the one regretting it if you mess it up, trust me. Now let’s go to your friend’s house and see what we can find on our little treasure hunt.” Peterkin said. 

He clenched his jaw and stood up, following her out of the room and thinking about what he was going to do when she found out that he and John B. had blown through the money they had gotten from pawning things off and had basically nothing left to return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This situation with Peterkin is not over, they aren't getting off that easily. What do you guys think? Should Uncle T stick around (for a little bit) or should he go back where he came from? Lol


	13. Never

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JJ struggles with his emotions, John B. steps up to protect JJ, Kie breaks out of her house and Pope tries to help JJ realize that he's good person who deserves love.

JJ lasted seven and a half minutes at the Chateau with Peterkin, John B. and Teddy before he snapped. His anger had built as he drove with her to the Chateau, bubbling over when John B. tried to take the blame. He had yelled at all of them that it was all him, shoved the money and the camera from the closet at Peterkin and ridden away on one of John B.’s old bikes. 

He knew deep down that he wasn’t being fair to Peterkin and that she could have taken it further, at least with the security footage she had on them. He knew if he thought about it rationally like Pope would, they weren’t even getting a slap on the wrist. All she was doing was giving them a chance to do what they were supposed to do and prove themselves. But when she told him in the car that she would have to speak to his dad if he missed any school before break, he got pissed. 

He was pissed about the fact that he and John B. were caught when they had been trying to help Kie with the Kooks. He thought about how unfair it was that they’d been caught when Rafe and Topper hadn’t been caught for harassing Kie and ruining her life. He thought about that as they drove and his anger grew when he saw Teddy again and was reminded of his mom and it all built up as he thought about the past few months, before he finally snapped at John B. for trying to be a hero again.

“There you are.” John B.’s voice said from behind JJ as he got high on the beach. 

“Go away, John B.” JJ said, not wanting to talk about it.

“That was really dramatic back there, JJ. Next time you run off, take me with you, dude. I don’t appreciate being abandoned with Peterkin. She was pissed that you dipped. She was going to go to your house to find you but I convinced her not to.” John B. said as he ignored him, sitting down next to him in the sand.

JJ just took another hit, trying to calm down. Everything had been going wrong for so long he couldn’t even blame all of his emotions on the situation with Peterkin. He knew it was a combination of Peterkin, the Kooks, Kie getting messed with and his mom, but it was easier to pretend it was all from today.

“I owe you one, but you shouldn’t have taken the fall, JJ. I was there with you every time. I stole that shit just as much as you did.” John B. said.

“It was me telling you to do it, like always. No big deal. I’ll just have to be more careful from now on.” JJ said.

“Ha, ha. Funny.” John B. said, looking at him sideways. 

JJ didn’t say anything in response, taking another hit from the joint.

“Because we’re done stealing shit. That was the joke, right?” John B. pushed.

“ _You’re_ done stealing. I’m not stopping just because of Peterkin’s bullshit. I still think she didn’t have anything on us to actually do anything. I shouldn’t have even confessed but she was threatening you and shit.” He said, shrugging. 

“JJ, you’re not stealing anything else. You’re gonna end up in juvie! All by yourself! With none of us. What’s wrong with you?” John B. said, pushing his shoulder when he didn’t look at him. 

“I don’t care, John B! When are you gonna realize that there’s nothing stopping me? I’ve been stealing for years, way before I ever told you or you noticed. I like it and I’m good at it. I just shouldn’t have gotten you involved. I’m better on my own anyways.”

“Nothing stopping you? I need you! Pope and Kie need you! If you keep going down this road, you’re gonna be sent away! Don’t you get that? Why are you being so stupid?” John B. yelled back, standing up again. 

“Don’t call me stupid, you stupid dumbass.” JJ said back angrily. 

“Stupid dumbass? I’m trying to help you!” John B. replied, eyebrows raised. JJ looked at him and quickly looked away when he saw John B.’s stupid concerned face. He didn’t deserve him as a friend. 

“Yeah, well I don’t want your help. Just accept what I did and leave me alone. I’m just trying to be a fucking good friend to you for once instead of you always having to save me. I’m tired of being the fuckup that you guys are always worrying about.” He said, finishing his joint and throwing it into the sand. 

John B. just stared at him and JJ said, “What? It’s paper and a plant. It’s biodegrabable or some shit.” 

“What? I don’t give a shit about the blunt, JJ. You are a good fucking friend. What’re you talking about?” John B. asked, eyebrows scrunched together in concern.

JJ let out an unhappy laugh and didn’t answer, picking up his backpack from the sand and putting it over his shoulder. “I gotta go. I’ll see you at school or whatever since we’ve gotta go everyday now. Fucking cops.”

“Wait, JJ. What’re you talking about? You can’t just leave whenever I try to talk about shit with you. You’re my best fucking friend, you’re always helping me. How can you think you don’t?” John B. asked, taking a step towards him.

“Shut up. I don’t do shit for anyone. All I do is cause bad shit. My whole life you’ve been helping me. Just accept what I did for you and let me do what I do.” JJ said, turning to walk away.

“When have I helped you? I left you stuck with your fucking dad when I should have gotten help. I kept secrets I shouldn’t have kept about a lot of shit that’s happened to you. I haven’t helped you with anything.” John B. said, voice cracking. JJ froze, not wanting to turn around but not able to walk away from a crying John B. 

“You’re stupid. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He asked, frozen. He hoped John B. wasn’t talking about what he thought he was. 

“I know what I’m talking about, JJ. All the shit that’s happened to you since we were kids. With your parents and other people and shit. I’ve kept these things secrets for you, thinking I was helping you. But now I’m seeing that I haven’t helped you at all. I’m a horrible fucking friend.” John B. was definitely crying and JJ definitely should turn around, but his body was frozen solid at the thought of what John B. was referencing.

“Nah, but you will be if you don’t keep your word. Those spit promises are serious shit, man. Break them and you’ll die, remember?” He said, taking another step away from John B. He figured he felt like a piece of shit already, so why stop now and talk it through with John B?

“You’re really gonna go home right now?” John B. called after him as he started to walk away.

“Yep. It’s where I live, so….. I’ll see you later. You’ve got your uncle, so you’re good, right? He better take care of the bills and shit for you.” He called, not waiting for a response. He was terrified that John B. was going to start running his mouth to Pope or Kie or his uncle about him and his secrets.

His high wasn’t as strong as he had hoped it would be or maybe it was but he was too wound up for it to hit the same. His hands were shaking as he started riding John B.’s old bike home. He couldn’t ride the bike well with one hand, which was just another reason he was angry.

He stopped on his way home to steal from the convenience store, just as a giant middle finger to Peterkin and to John B, even though neither of them deserved it and it would hurt John B. the most if he was caught. He shoved as much random shit as he could in his pockets, more reckless than usual, not caring if he was caught anymore. 

The usually suspicious cashier didn’t even look twice at him when he paid for the rest of the stuff with a five dollar bill. 

He took it as a sign that he should keep stealing.

* * *

“Alright, let me hear it, Pope. I fucking knew you would call, man. You’re so predictable.” JJ said as his phone rang later that night. He put it on speaker and took another hit from his bong. 

“Put the bong down and talk to me, JJ. I’m tired. It’s not like I don’t have fifty finals to study for right now or anything.” Pope’s tired voice said. 

“Do your homework, Pope. Just cause John B. told you to check on me, doesn’t mean you need to hop to it. Tell him to fuck off.” He said back. 

“John B. barely said anything. I heard from him that Peterkin caught up with you guys today and that you’re pissed. You’re still free, so it can’t have been that bad. What happened with you and John B.? Why’re you fighting?”

“She had nothing on us but she was threatening John B. so I confessed and took the blame. John B. was pissed because he wanted to be a hero and take some of it too. That’s it.” 

“So is that what he’s gonna say when I ask him?” Pope asked after a second. 

“Yep.” JJ said, popping the ‘p’ at the end of yep to annoy Pope.

“Both of you dumbasses should have shared the blame. You egg each other on.” Pope replied. 

“Anything else you want to say, Professor? Or can I get back to my plans?” JJ asked him, rolling his eyes. 

“What’d she do to you? How’d you get her to let you go?” Pope asked.

“Nothing. But basically me and John B. have got to go to school everyday and I guess work at your dad’s store or somewhere else and basically be good boys like you. So you’ll be happy. Try not to get too excited.” 

“That’s it? That’s all _Peterkin_ did to you after stealing thousands of dollars worth of shit? I mean, I’m happy it wasn’t more serious, but she’s going so easy on you! How’re you pissed?” Pope said incredulously. 

“Well, I mean she said if she catches me not doing that in the next two weeks, she’ll tell my dad, blah blah blah. And you know that dude would be punishment enough.” JJ rambled, not paying attention to what he was saying as much as he would when sober. 

“JJ….I thought you said he barely did that.” Pope said awkwardly after a pause.

“Yeah, I mean he doesn’t. But if I bring the cops around, he’ll be pissed. So, I won’t be stupid again and get caught.” JJ said, putting the bong down and flicking his lighter open and closed rapidly so his hand had something to do. “Hey, did I tell you I figured out how to use the lighter with my broken arm? I can take bong rips easily now!”

“Ok, good. Wait, what? Get caught?” Pope said, realizing what JJ was implying and ignoring his other comment.

“Worry about yourself, Pope. You’ve got a scholarship on the line.” 

“No, no, no. Don’t give me that bullshit when you legitimately have a chance of going to juvie, JJ! I’m not letting you steal again. I don’t care if I have to cut off your hands so you can’t. I’m not letting you throw your life away because you’ve got sticky fingers and are bored.” Pope said back and JJ could tell he was agitated. 

“You think that’s why I do it? Because I’m _bored_? John B. literally had no way to pay his rent or bills or get food. We had no choice, Pope. You think my fucking dad buys me clothes and shoes and shit and makes sure I eat? We’re not like you and Kie. If we need something, we have to get it ourselves. And working some minimum wage job wasn’t going to cut it.” JJ tried to keep his voice down in case his dad heard, but he was pissed. Pope didn’t understand what it was like. Even if they all came from poverty, Pope’s parents made sure he had what he needed.

“Ok, ok, I know that JJ. I know. But there’s a big difference between doing that before you were caught and before his uncle came and now.” Pope said, trying to calm him down.

“Peterkin has nothing on us. I’ll go to school and be a good boy. But if I need something, I’m gonna get it how I get it.” He said, picking up his bong again. Pope was stressing him out.

“We’ll talk about this over break. Don’t do anything until we talk, okay? Two days of school this week. You promise you’ll wait till we talk?” Pope asked. 

“You act like I’m sitting here planning some heist. I’m just talking about the future.” He said.

“Do you promise?” Pope pressed.

“I’ll do a spit promise, yeah.” JJ said, holding back a smile.

“JJ...we aren’t ten anymore. That’s gross.”

“Do it, Pope. It’s sacred.” He said back, smirking because he knew Pope was embarrassed to do it alone.

“Where do we put the spit? You can’t do this over the phone.” Pope said and JJ knew he was holding his hand up anyways.

JJ spit loudly, knowing Pope could hear and then wiped it on a napkin he had next to his bed.

He heard Pope sigh and then spit and he laughed. “Ok, I spit promise I won’t steal before break.” JJ said. 

“This is nasty. I’m hanging up. And oh yeah, Kie wanted me to tell you to stop avoiding her calls.”

“I wasn’t avoiding her calls. I’m just scared because I told her dad we macked on each other and she’s not going to be the happiest.” JJ said.

“So yeah, that’s avoiding her calls. I can’t believe you lied to him about that, dude. Stupid or ballsy?” Pope laughed.

“Stupid. Deadly stupid. I’m gonna call her- I’ll see you at school tomorrow. That should make you happy.” JJ said.

“It does. See you tomorrow. I’ll be praying for you.” Pope replied, laughing and hanging up.

JJ called Kie and braced himself, laying down and putting his phone on his stomach, closing his eyes. He was finally high enough for this.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the love of my life.” Kie answered and JJ couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Don’t let your dad hear that, Kie. He’ll drive out here and skin me alive, for real.” 

“All I can say is: why? Out of all the excuses you literally picked the one that he fears the most. I told you to pick one that would help.” Kie said.

“Hey, he’s off your back about the Kooks, isn’t he?” JJ said, keeping his eyes closed.

“Well, yeah but now both of my parents want me to spend more time at home instead of with you guys. Apparently, I need to “try harder” with the Kooks.” 

“Tell them you can’t try harder. You’re a Pogue.” JJ said, dead serious.

“They don’t care. They just want me to dress up and be friends with Sarah Cameron again and go to the country club with them and shit like that.” Kie sighed.

“All activities a Pogue would never do. They should know better.” 

“Damn straight they should. My mom did try to have a talk with me though. She said she knew it was bound to happen with you since you’re “handsome”, but that you’re trouble and I need to date someone from our neighborhood. Even though I pointed out that my dad wasn’t from her neighborhood. She didn’t appreciate that.” Kie laughed and JJ forced himself to laugh too, but what she said hurt. Even if he didn’t want to date Kie, it reminded him of what people like her parents thought of him just because of where he lives.

“Don’t worry, Kie. Tell her that my handsome ass will save my moves for the girls on the Cut from now on. Scout’s honor.”

“Shut up.” Kie laughed. “Mack on whoever you want. I’m gonna break out on Thursday and we can hang and then go to the Boneyard and shit for the Winter Break party? You guys don’t have school after Wednesday, right?”

“No school after Tuesday, baby! Thank you, public school! But yeah, sounds good. You know where to find us if you need back up before that.” He said.

“Just make sure you have lots of weed.” Kie said and JJ laughed at how serious she was. 

“Duh. When do I not?” He laughed.

“That’s one of the reasons we love you.” 

* * *

  
  


“You are gonna be so happy when you see what I got you!” 

JJ looked up from where he was working on the lawn mower in his front yard and felt dread when he saw John B. with a stupid, excited smile on his face. He had been trying to fix the mower for two hours to no avail. 

“What’re you doing here?” He asked John B. He never came to his house without telling him first. He knew his dad could hear them from the porch where he was, but he hoped he wouldn’t say anything and he could get John B. to leave before anything happened.

“Oh, nothing. Just giving you a little ‘I’m sorry’ present for breaking your precious arm. And to appreciate you for being a fucking amazing friend.” 

“What? We’re cool, dude. I was just pissed about everything. What is it? Is it good?” JJ asked, putting down his tools despite himself and looking at the plastic bag on John B.’s arm.

“Yeah it’s fucking good.” He said as he reached into his bag and threw a plastic box at JJ. It hit him in the face before he could catch it, distracted from thinking about his dad and John B. at the same time.

“What is this shit?” He said as he looked at the picture. “Shit! Holy shit! Wait, what is it? Is this what I think it is?” 

“Yep! Got it from the fucking Kook pharmacy. It was right on the shelf. Figures, cause I went to our shitty one and they looked at me like they didn’t know what a cast was and then they told me to try theirs. And it was right there!” John B. said, smiling.

“So I can go surfing again? Does this work? You know what, I don’t even care if it works! I’m fucking going anyways!” He said, ripping open the packaging and pulling out the waterproof cast cover. 

“It totally works. Told you I’d fix it for you.” John B. said, laughing at JJ’s excitement. “But it doesn’t make you a better surfer.”

“Please, as if I can get better. Thanks, bro. Seriously. Cause I was gonna die if I had to go one more day without surfing. I was this close to sawing this shit off, man. Did you bring your wetsuit?” He asked, pulling the cover on over his cast and turning his arm to check it out. “Is mine at your place?”

“I’ve got both of ours. You ready now?” John B. said, waving his backpack at him. 

“I was fucking born ready. You have no idea. I have literally been dreaming of this moment.” JJ said, walking away before stopping. “Wait. I’m supposed to fix this shit.”

“Boring. That looks unfixable, bro. It’s totally rusty. Just dip. That can wait, trust me. It’s not going anywhere.” John B. said, but JJ saw him look towards the porch where his dad was sitting. 

“Let me just check first.” JJ said, turning to his dad.

“I got you.” John B. said before stupidly turning and going towards his dad. JJ couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be so stupidly oblivious of what his dad was capable of to charge up to him like that.

“Hey Mr. Maybank! How’s it hanging?” John B. called, walking towards the steps, cutting JJ off. 

“They find your daddy yet?” Luke said, barely looking over at him. John B. stopped for a second before buffing up his fake smile and continuing onto the porch. 

“Nah, but you know cops. They don’t do shit. Anyway, can JJ fix that mower later? I kind of need to take him surfing.” John B. leaned against a table and JJ stood anxiously next to him, slightly in front of him.

“You didn’t finish the mower yet?” His dad asked him, ignoring John B. to glare at him. JJ barely resisted rolling his eyes. His dad could see him right from where he was and he knew he hadn’t finished it. “Did you read the fucking directions I gave you?”

John B. looked between them and opened his mouth even though JJ tried to cut him off. “You want some help, JJ? I bet we can fix it in thirty and still make it there while it’s light.”

“You need him to read them to you? I forgot you can’t read.” His dad said, laughing meanly.

JJ’s face burned at being reminded of his reading abilities and he tried to think of how to defend himself but he was embarrassed in front of John B. He could feel him looking at him, probably surprised that he wasn’t saying anything right away. The JJ John B. knew wouldn’t take shit from anyone. 

“I can read, Dad. I just wanted to do it later. I swear, I’ll finish it.” He tried, already knowing it was a failed mission.

“No, do it now. You can’t surf with a cast anyways, dipshit.” He said and John B. shifted next to him.

“I got him a cast cover, so he’s all good Mr. Maybank. We’ll fix the mower now and then go. And he’s not dumb or a dipshit, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say shit like that about my best friend.” He said. JJ clenched his jaw, knowing that would set his dad off.

“Well that’s your opinion. Mine’s different. If you don’t like it, you can get off my damn property.” Luke said, getting up to get a tool. JJ took a step back and stepped on John B.’s foot. 

“That's true. And my opinion is that _you’re_ a dipshit.” John B. said to him. “I should have reported you a long time ago.” 

JJ panicked and pushed John B. away from the porch. “Stop, John B. Just leave! I’ll meet you later. Get out!”

“What the hell, JJ? Just come with me. You don’t need to stay here and listen to this.” John B. said, looking at him like he was crazy. JJ almost laughed. His dad called him dipshit even when he was in a good mood. That was nothing.

“No, let him talk. Report me for what?” Luke said, looking amused. 

“For hurting JJ. For being an abusive piece of shit. For everything. All of it. You don’t deserve him.” He said. JJ closed his eyes for a second at how serious John B. was. Goddamn John B.

“I’m his damn father. I’m the reason he’s alive. He needs to learn to have some respect.”

“A real father doesn’t do that. It’s illegal and he can get taken from you if I tell.” John B. said back.

“John B, stop! Shut up! Seriously, leave! Fuck off!” He yelled at him, terrified that his dad was going to try to hurt John B. He tried to push him back and block him from his dad.

“Go ahead and do it then, big guy. No one gives a shit in case you haven’t noticed. Now get the fuck off my property before I get mad.” Luke said. “Sounds like you want to get rid of him, too, cause if you try to report it, his ass is going to Florida with his mom.”

“No. My Uncle Teddy will let him live with us.” John B. said and JJ flicked his eyes between the two of them even while he tried to get John B. to stop talking. 

Luke laughed and sat back down with a new tool. “Sounds like you got it all figured out. Go ahead then. Hey, maybe your mom will actually come back if you start to live with Teddy. For him, not for you of course.” He said to JJ. That hurt, even though he knew he was just lashing out at John B.’s threat.

“Screw you. I do have it all figured out. You’re a fucking asshole and you don’t deserve JJ. He’s the best person I know. End of. Let’s go, JJ.” John B. said, walking back towards the steps. 

“He’s not going anywhere.” Luke said, standing back up. He didn’t make a move towards John B, but JJ wasn’t thinking straight and wasn’t taking any chances. 

JJ grabbed John B. with all of his strength and pulled him back and away from his dad. “Go away, John B! Just leave, please.” He said as he dragged him away and off the porch. He kept pulling him until they were far enough away for his dad to have a hard time catching them if he wanted to. 

“No! Not unless you come with me! I’m not leaving you here with this asshole, JJ.” John B. said once they stopped walking. 

“You better get him out or I’m gonna be taking this shit into my own hands. Go back to that lawn mower and fix it. Now.” His dad called over to him. 

“Just leave, John B! You’re making it worse! I’ll come over later, but just go! Fuck off!” JJ said to him angrily, trying to keep his voice down so his dad couldn’t hear. 

John B. crossed his arms and shook his head. JJ knew that look and knew he wasn’t going to budge. “I’m not going without you. Enough is enough. I’m not leaving you to be abused by him.”

JJ blinked fast, both furious with John B. and wanting to cry from how much he genuinely cared. He looked over his shoulder at his dad and saw that he wasn’t looking at them anymore. 

“I don’t have my shit.” He said quietly back. 

“We’ll sneak back in later and get it. Let’s just go surfing. Come on- I’ve got everything you need.” John B. said, looking happy that he was getting his way. 

JJ looked back again at his dad. He knew he was going to pay for this if he returned when his dad was sober so he would have to time it just right when he came home again. 

“Ok, we make a break for it on the count of five. One, two, three-” JJ had to spring after John B. when he started running at three. He chased him through the woods by his house, laughing against his will at John B.’s stupid laugh. They heard his dad yelling after them but he didn’t care at the moment, knowing he wouldn’t chase him.

They stopped after a minute, out of breath and John B. laughed again, putting his hand on JJ’s shoulder. 

“How sick did that feel?” He asked JJ, slumped over to catch his breath.

“Sick in a bad way, bro. He’s gonna beat my ass when I go home.” JJ said, shaking his hand off his shoulder and pushing him a little. “Why did you do that shit!”

“Do what? Defend you? Get you away from him? I should have done it sooner and way more, JJ! I think it’s time to report his ass. He can’t keep getting away with it. Even how he talks to you.” John B. said, grabbing JJ’s shoulder again and trying to force him to look at him.

JJ looked at him for a second before shoving him off again. “Have you lost your mind? I told you the other week what would happen to me and you keep saying this shit! This is _nothing_ new. He’s been the same my entire life. And now you wanna play the hero? You won’t have a best friend if you do that, man.” 

“You can stay with me, I already told you. Permanently. Or Pope’s family would take you, I bet. Maybe even Kie’s.” John B. said, frustrated. He threw his hands up when JJ shook his head.

“Your uncle hates me, he’s not signing shit for me. Pope’s family has enough to deal with, they aren’t taking me on. Don’t even joke about Kie’s. If you report him and they believe you, I’m going to Florida to my grandma. Or my mom. I don’t fucking know. And if I go to my mom, I’m running away. I’m not living with her and her boyfriend ever again.” JJ said, trying to push down the memories of the last time he lived with her without his dad.

John B. had a weird look on his face, like he was remembering something from a long time ago and trying to figure it out. JJ grabbed his shoulders and shook him. 

“Promise me you won’t do shit. Keep your promises, John B. We just fucking talked about this the other day!” 

John B. shook himself and blinked. “Alright, alright. I promise. But if he touches you again, I’m slashing his tires and coming for him. This can’t go on forever.” He mimicked punching someone.

“Yeah, no. You’re staying the fuck away from him. Permanently. Let’s go surfing and then get Pope. Kie said she’d break out and meet us tomorrow. We’ve got to build up Pope’s tolerance before the Boneyard.” JJ said, walking towards the road. He was trying to act normal for John B.’s sake but his hands were shaking slightly and his adrenaline was pumping and he wanted to get high.

“Should I text Jaden and see if he can get us a shit-ton of beer?” John B. asked. JJ could tell he wasn’t done with the situation, but he appreciated him dropping it for now.

“Duh. How else can we help Saint Pope become cool again?” JJ forced a laugh.

“He was never cool, JJ.” John B. said as he texted.

“Be nice, John B. He’s cooler than you.” 

* * *

“JJ, you’re gonna fall and break your other arm. And we’re not driving your ass to the ER and the clinic isn’t open. Get down.” Pope called to him as he climbed up his favorite tree at the Chateau and kept climbing. 

JJ laughed at them and it was a sign of how drunk Pope was that he didn’t call out to him again. He and John B. were drinking, Pope on the hammock and John B. in the chair, texting Madison. 

“I’m not gonna break anything. I’m a professional stuntman.” He said, but he hopped down to a lower branch and then swung from it with one arm before dropping to the ground. 

“Kie’s texting us to break her out. JB, are you good to drive?” Pope asked, looking down at his phone. 

“Shit, it must be bad if she’s asking. She told us she’d be here tomorrow.” JJ said, walking over and leaning over Pope’s shoulder. 

“Yeah, I’m good. I only had one. I don’t go hard until the clock hits ten.” John B. said, standing up and stretching. 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea though? Her dad literally has bounties on John B. and me’s heads, Pope.” JJ said, getting nervous. 

“Since when are you a chicken?” John B. laughed, checking his pockets for his keys.

“Hey, I’m no chicken. But the dude is out for blood.” JJ said, holding his hands up. 

Pope followed John B. “Well, if you’re too _chicken_ , we can go without you.” He made a chicken noise. 

JJ smiled, knowing Pope was drunk if he was willingly going on a break out mission with a tipsy John B.

“I ain’t no chicken. I’m a full on cock.” He said, jogging after them and beating Pope to the front seat. 

“Do you think he realizes what he said?” He heard John B. ask Pope. 

“Yeah, I think he does.” Pope said, shaking his head and clambering into the back of the van. 

“Did she give us any tips or are we freeballing it?” JJ asked, putting his feet on the dashboard.

“Freeballing? Wrong word, bro.” John B. laughed. “She said to drive around to the corner, honk once and cut the lights and she would shimmy down from her window. Don’t you have your phone?” 

“I don’t need my phone when I’m with you guys. I knew you would see if Kie texted and tell me.” He said, tapping his foot to a beat on the dashboard that he knew drove John B. crazy. 

“Aww.” Pope said from the backseat before doing his drunk laugh. 

JJ turned around and looked at him before shaking his head. “Pope, you had two beers. Why are you acting snockered?” 

“Snockered?!” John B. said, choking on his laughter. “I’m using that from now on.” 

“Use away, my friend. I live to provide you with new words. I’m like a walking tyrannosaurus.” 

Pope laughed harder from the backseat. “It’s a thesaurus! A tyrannosaurus is a dinosaur. Holy shit.” 

“That’s what I said, bro. My word means the same, just it’s different. Duh.” JJ said back, serious.

They argued back and forth for the next five minutes about who was right until John B. spoke up.

“Alright, shut up. No, shut up, JJ! Shut up! Text her, Pope. I’m about to do the honk.” John B. said, pulling onto her street. 

“Done.” He said back. John B. honked and cut the lights off. They waited for a solid six minutes before screaming in fear when someone knocked on the door to the van, assuming it was Mr. C.

Kie’s smiling face was outside the window. They stared back at her and she yelled through the glass for them to hurry up and unlock the door. 

“Drive, John B! Step on it, my mom definitely heard me on the porch roof.” She said, throwing herself in the van and slamming the door shut.

John B. sped off as JJ laughed. “Alright, Kie! Way to fight the power!” 

“Thanks, JJ. Is Pope drunk?” She asked them.

“Yeah. How’d you know?” JJ answered at the same time that Pope said, “I’m not!”

“He’s doing that drunk smile he does.” Kie said.

“I had two beers! This is my normal smile!” Pope protested.

“That’s true. His normal smile does look like his drunk smile.” JJ agreed, turning to face the front again.

“Hey!” Pope said. 

“Hey what? Do you want a drunk smile or not?” John B. laughed. 

“I guess so.” Pope laughed. 

“I’m getting shit faced tonight.” Kie said, patting JJ on the shoulder. He smiled at her enthusiasm. “JJ.”

“Yeah?”

“Weed. Pass it to me. I’m not just patting you to say hi.” She laughed. 

“Aw, we missed you Kie. Four days without you was four days too long.” John B. said.

* * *

“You losers ready? I finally break out of my house and you’re still laying around? Let’s go!” Kie said as she walked into the kitchen from where she had slept on the porch the next morning. 

JJ looked up from the counter where he was sitting, waiting for John B. to open a giant new carton of orange juice for him. He opened it and passed it to JJ who started chugging it without getting a glass. 

“We didn’t know you were awake, Kie. You and Pope looked dead when I checked the porch.” JJ said.

“Really? Thanks, JJ. That’s yours now.” John B. said, walking towards him with a sharpie and grabbing it, writing a big ‘JJ’ on the side before shoving it back at him.

“What? Why? It’s for everyone, dude. Hey, Kie, you want some?” He asked, confused and holding it out towards her.

“Yeah, I’m good.” She said, making a face.

“No one wants your meningitis, bro.” John B. said to him, shrugging and shoving things into his backpack.

“I don’t have meningitis, dumbass. You’re the one macking on Madison every other night. She got meningitis last year, dude. And rumor says she still has it to this day. To this _day_ , John B.” He said, hopping down and heading to the porch to get his board.

“Guess it’s not a good time to tell you I used your toothbrush by accident last night then.” John B laughed.

“I’ve got a good immune system.” He answered after pretending to throw up.

He flipped John B. off when he called after him about how he knew JJ was macking on two different girls the weekend before and how he probably did have a strong immune system if he was fighting off all his diseases.

“Hey, Crutches.” He said when Pope woke up on the sofa. “I think we’re going surfing. You want to come watch? I can stay with you if you want to stay here. Or we can take you home. Or we can hang-”

“JJ, shhh. I have a really, really, bad hang-” Pope cut himself off by throwing up off the side of the couch. 

JJ barely stepped out of the way. “Clean up on aisle Pope!” He called towards the house. Kie came out and laughed a little before covering it up. 

“You ok, Pope?” She asked him, walking a little closer.

“Kie, this is why we forced him to stay here with us last night. He can’t even hang. We’ve got to get his stamina up over break. This was day one. After tonight, it should be better.” JJ said, reaching over to pat Pope on the back.

“Tonight? I’m not drinking anything tonight.” Pope said, wiping his mouth and laying back down.

“Yeah, you are dude. Every night of break. We’ve got to get you back to the old Pope.” JJ said seriously.

“The old Pope had four beers and would throw up.” Kie reminded JJ.

“That’s not true, Kie. I could do seven.” Pope defended himself.

“What is this nonsense? I won’t except anything less than eleven before sickness.” JJ said. John B. came out with paper towels and threw the roll to JJ.

“Why should I clean it up?” JJ complained.

“Because you’re the one who made him shotgun with you, knowing this would happen.” John B. replied, sitting on the edge of the couch. “How ya feeling, Pope?”

Pope groaned and put an arm over his eyes. 

“I’m not cleaning that up.” JJ protested, throwing the roll back at John B. It bounced off his head and rolled onto the floor. Kie barely put her foot on it in time to stop it from rolling in the puke.

“You are because I’ve got your cast cover in my bag and I’m not giving it to you until you do.” John B. said, smirking and crossing his arms. 

“Kie!” JJ said, turning to her for backup.

“I’m not cleaning it up! I agree with John B. You’re also the one who spotted it first. You basically called dibs.” Kie said, taking a step away from JJ and Pope. 

JJ opened and closed his mouth a few times before turning to Pope. “Pope, who do you th-”

“You.” Pope cut him off. John B. and Kie laughed at JJ. 

“Well I vote we leave it for Teddy, since he’s paying the rent.” JJ said, but he grabbed the roll and started to clean it up.

“It’d be there for months then, because he’s gone.” John B. said, rolling his eyes.

“What? Wait, what? John B.? When?” JJ and Kie said at almost the same time.

“Yesterday morning he left. I just didn’t feel like telling you guys yet so I said he was out for the night. But we had a fight about him being gone all the time and he said he was going back. He said he’ll be back for Christmas but we all know that’s a lie.” John B. said, looking down at his hands. “At least he left money this time.”

“That sucks, man. I’m sorry.” JJ said. Kie put her arm around John B.’s shoulders. Pope opened his eyes briefly before slamming them shut again. 

“Sorry, John B. Want to stay at my place? You know you’re invited for Christmas.” Pope said to him.

“I don’t know. I kind of want to skip Christmas and all of that this year. It feels wrong without my dad.” He said, looking out at the water.

“We’ll make it nice, John B. You know your dad wants you to have Christmas until he gets back. He wouldn’t want you being sad, doing nothing.” Kie said, looking at Pope and JJ as she talked.

“Yeah, I’m with Kie. Fuck Uncle T anyways. That dude is wack. We’ll do something better.” JJ said, finally cleaning up the mess.

“He kind of is. I can’t believe he and your mom had a thing.” John B. said, pretending to gag.

“What!” Kie and Pope cried. Pope removed his arm from his eyes to look at JJ and John B.

JJ rolled his eyes. “I can. He’s totally her type. She’s had like a hundred fucking boyfriends and they’re all the fucking worst. No offense John B.” He disappeared towards the kitchen to throw the paper towels away.

When he came back he heard whispering and rolled his eyes before walking back out. “What is it now? What’d I say that you’re talking about?”

“Nothing. We were talking about Uncle T.” John B. said, shrugging and looking at Kie sideways. Pope was sitting up and looked at JJ with a weird look he couldn’t place and JJ was immediately on high alert.

She smiled at him before looking at Pope. “You guys ready to go or what? Crutches? You want a ride home?” 

John B. laughed and Pope flipped them both off. JJ stared at them all suspiciously, knowing that they hadn’t just been talking about Uncle T.

“No thanks. I don’t have a death wish. My parents don’t need to see me hungover.” Pope said, laying back down all the way.

Kie shrugged and got up, walking towards the screen door. “Suit yourself. JB and JJ, let’s go. We’ll bring you back some Advil, Pope.” 

“I changed my mind, I’m gonna stay with Pope.” JJ said, throwing himself down in the chair and pulling out a blunt he had sloppily rolled with one hand and his fingers on his broken arm.

He felt more than saw Kie and John B. looking at each other before looking at Pope. 

He got annoyed. “I can fucking feel you guys looking at each other. Yes, I’m fine and no, I’m not doing a ‘JJ thing’. Maybe Pope and I’ll do some homework or some shit.” 

John B. held up his hands and reached out to pinch JJ’s cheek. “Hey, don’t look at me. We just worry about our little JJ.”

JJ slapped his hand away and flipped him off, kicking him in the shin. John B. laughed and followed Kie. 

“Take care of Pope, JJ!” She called as they walked to the car. 

“Hey, you want some of this, Pope? It’ll cure your hangover, that’s for sure.” JJ offered the blunt to Pope, laughing when he threw an empty beer can at him and missed. 

“Damn. We’ve got to work on your aim.” He said, focusing on lighting the blunt with one hand, eyes down. The next can hit him straight in the face.

“You’re lucky I’m nice. Cause otherwise this would mean war.” JJ said back. 

“Oh yeah, lucky me. It’s not like you didn’t switch the hot sauce with the ketchup last night and then take away the milk so my mouth was on fire.” Pope shot back. “I’m gonna get you guys back.”

“Don’t eat so much ketchup, Pope. Let that be a lesson.” 

“That’s not the lesson. My lesson is to never take anything you’re offering me.” Pope said.

“I’m hurt, Pope. It’s like you’re saying you can’t trust your best friend.” JJ put a hand over his heart, doing a mock offended face. 

“No, I’m saying it’s war. I know I can trust you.” He said. JJ wondered if he meant to sound so gushy. He laughed it off. 

“So emotional, bro.” He stood up to go to the kitchen, not wanting to talk or deal with his own emotions. 

“You know you’re a great friend, don’t you, JJ? Not just a friend, but a person? Do you know that? Cause you are.” Pope’s voice said to his back.

JJ stopped walking and tried to calm down. He knew now that John B. had talked to Pope and Kie about what he had said on the beach the other day and he was pissed.

“Goddamn John B. He can never keep his mouth shut.” JJ said, walking into the kitchen and leaving Pope on the porch. 

He hoped back onto the counter, grabbing a box of cereal and eating handfuls in between hits. He almost groaned when he heard Pope hopping across the wooden floor. 

“You thought walking away would stop me?” He asked, leaning against the doorframe before hopping over to a chair at the table. 

“I was hungry.” JJ shrugged, looking at the back of the cereal box instead of at Pope. “I’m growing, I gotta eat. It’s how I get the strength to grow my facial hair.” He rubbed his imaginary stubble. 

“There’s still nothing there, JJ.” Pope laughed. “My mom has more than you do.” 

“Woah. I’m telling. John B.said that about Kie, too. Respect the women, Pope.” JJ said, raising his eyebrows.

“She doesn’t have any, that was my point.” Pope argued. “But you can tell her if it makes you feel better. She loves you, she’s always asking about you. Dinner on Friday, by the way.”

“At least someone’s mom loves me.” He joked. 

Pope couldn’t hide his reaction and he made a really sad face that made JJ look away immediately. 

“I’m joking, Pope. Relax.” He said. “Want to go out on the water? Fishing?”

“Hmm, let me think. Hell, no. It’s freezing and I feel sick.” Pope said, looking happy to change the subject. He knew Pope and Kie didn’t know what to say about his mom and John B.’s. They had no understanding of what it was like.

“That’s why we’re working on stamina tonight and every night of break, man. It was just beer!” JJ laughed. 

“Yeah well, beer still does damage when you shotgun them!” Pope defended himself. “Sorry I didn’t start drinking at age ten.”

“Ten? I had my first beer in Kindergarten, Pope.” JJ semi-joked, hopping off the counter and throwing the cereal box at him. “Eat something, that’ll help.”

“I don’t want John B.’s stale ass cereal.” Pope said, putting it down again. “What are we gonna do for his birthday, by the way?”

“I’m getting him a rooster, Pope. And we should have a big ass surprise party here or at the Boneyard for him. He’s already got a car, otherwise I’d say we could hotwire one and steal it. Joking!” JJ leaned against the counter, almost finished his joint and he held up his hand when Pope’s eyes bugged out.

“Of course you’re joking. And a rooster? Do you want none of us to sleep again?” Pope said, eyebrows up. 

“It’s soothing. Who doesn’t like to listen to a rooster?” JJ said, confused. He thought it was the coolest idea for a present ever. John B. would love it. 

“Me. And literally everyone. No one likes that sound.” Pope said, standing up. JJ went over to help him. 

“John B. and me like that sound.” He said, letting Pope grab his arm. 

“It’s John B. and I, JJ.” Pope corrected.

“You and John B. like it too?” JJ asked, confused. 

“Oh my god. Forget it.” Pope said as he sat down. “My ankle’s basically all good now. Thank god it was just a sprain. I don’t know how you’re dealing with that cast.” 

“I mean it fucking sucks, but I don’t want John B. to feel worse. So I just deal with it by crying and getting baked when I’m not with him.” JJ joked.

“You’re a good friend. No, don’t look away, JJ. Just let me give you a compliment. You literally always turn away. You’re a great friend.” Pope said. JJ forced himself to not look away even though he wanted to. “That’s all John B. said, by the way. That you felt like a piece of shit and said you caused only bad shit to happen. That’s not true. You might be a dumbass, but you’re our dumbass and we love you. We wouldn’t be the same without you.” 

“Didn’t know this was a therapist’s office.” JJ said, making a big show of looking around. “Looks like the same old piece of shit Chateau to me.”

“Shut up, JJ. Just accept what I’m saying and let’s see if John B.’s tv works before I puke again.” Pope said, rolling his eyes. 

JJ laughed. “Puke again and you’re cleaning it, man.”

Pope rolled his eyes but didn’t answer and they switched between channels for a few minutes, arguing over what to watch. It took twenty minutes before JJ turned to Pope.

“Thanks, Pope.” 

Pope opened his eyes and gave him a peace sign before closing them again. 

JJ couldn’t handle being emotional and serious for more than ten seconds so he took off his dirty sock and threw it at Pope’s face. 

“Really mature, JJ.” Pope said, gagging and throwing it back at him.

“Do you take back what you said?” JJ asked, half joking and half desperately serious.

“Never.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uncle T will be back! He just left for a little bit because he can't stick around for more than two days in my head.
> 
> Next up will be Christmas and John B.'s birthday! :)


	14. An OBX Christmas

“So, you finally want to work for me? Never thought I’d see the day.” Heyward said, leaning into the bed of his truck and passing John B. a crate of the seafood he had picked up for the store while he talked to JJ. 

“Never thought you’d see the day? I’m offended, Heyward. I really am. This is my dream job, truly. I just wanted to try out all the other jobs first to get them outta my system. So I’d really appreciate this one when it was time.” JJ said, hand on his heart as he followed them inside. 

“Uh-huh. That’s a real funny excuse. You should be a comedian.” Heyward said, face straight. “You’re hired, but on one condition. You do the job with minimal bullshit.”

“Bullshit? Me? I go into straight up work mode, Heyward. You won’t find a harder worker on the whole damn island. John B? Tell him. Tell him about the hardest worker award I was in the running for last year at that one gig.” JJ said as John B. passed him with a smirk on his way back to the truck.

“No comment.” John B. said, walking out. 

“He’s just jealous cause he wasn’t nominated.” JJ said to Heyward, who had his eyebrows raised before he shook his head. 

“Alright, this week isn’t that good cause I gotta go get my mom from the nursing home for Christmas so Pope’s gonna be holding it down for two days. You start today, so I can train you with everything. And then I guess I’ll just be stupid and pray to god that you three can hold the place down with minimal problems. And no taking the damn boat out to fish!” Heyward said.

“Absolutely no problem, Heyward. Pope’s in charge, got it! You don’t have to worry about your store, I promise we’ll take great care of it. Hey, you never said your mom was in a nursing home! How far away? Is she okay? And fishing? You clearly don’t know work JJ. Work JJ would never-” JJ’s rambling was cut off by Heyward.

“Shhhh. Shhhh. Calm your teenage enthusiasm down, son. And help John B. unload the truck. That’s all I need right now.” Heyward said. 

“Aye aye, sir! I’m on it.” JJ said, hopping off towards the door. He bumped straight into John B. and the box he was holding fell to the floor, fish slapping onto the tile. He and John B. stared at them for a second before looking at Heyward, mouths hanging open in shock. 

“What are you two idiots looking at me for? Pick up the damn fish and go rinse them off! The hell?” Heyward said, gesturing at the mess on the floor. 

“So, I’m not fired?” JJ asked, half joking. 

“I’m in the Christmas spirit. You get five lives.” He said before shaking his head and disappearing into the back room. 

“Four lives now.” John B. laughed, picking up a fish. 

JJ picked one up too and slapped John B. across the face with it, laughing when he looked offended. “Shut up, John B. It’s still five.” 

* * *

“Hey Mimi.” JJ said as he answered her call on his walk home from work. He wanted to get high so he hadn’t ridden his bike, shoving a hat on instead and walking when his phone rang.

“Hi, sweetie. How are you? Staying warm? I don’t know how you guys handle the winter up there!” She asked. 

“It’s like fifty-five degrees. It’s not really winter, Mimi.” He laughed.

“Cold to me! Anyways, I wanted to see if you would be open to something.” She said and she paused but JJ stayed silent, immediately on alert. “I was thinking that I could drive up there and spend Christmas Eve with you. Or Christmas. Either one. I miss you and want to see you, sweetie.” 

“Just you?” JJ asked, torn between wanting her to mention his mom and wanting it to be just her. 

“Yep, just your Mimi. Did you and your dad have plans? I figured I could celebrate one of the days with you and you could celebrate with him the next or vice versa. I was going to get a hotel room close to you.” She said.

“We usually go to my aunt and uncle’s on Christmas Day, but on Christmas Eve I’m going to my friend Pope’s house, so I bet you could come with me!” JJ said, excited to have a family member to bring to Pope’s. They had asked him to bring his dad and he had pretended that he would ask. This would be way less stressful.

“Oh, I don’t want to intrude at your friend’s house, sweetie. I’m glad you have plans.” She answered, but JJ could tell she was hesitant and wanted to join. 

“No, they asked me to bring Dad but he didn’t want to so it will be good.” JJ lied. He hadn’t bothered asking his dad.

“Okay, I’d love to call them and check with them and chat. Can you text me their number? If they’re okay with me joining, I’d love to come up for the day before and Christmas Eve. It’s been way too long since I saw my oldest grandbaby.” Mimi said. 

“Yep, I’ll send it. Mrs. Heyward’s real nice. And Heyward’s grumpy-nice. You’ll like them.” JJ decided. 

“I’m sure I will. I’ll call them later. I love you, baby. Hopefully I’ll see you soon, okay?” Mimi said to him and JJ smiled, excited about having some family of his own to bring to the Heyward’s. Well, the only non-embarrassing family member he could bring, really.

“Okay. You too.” JJ said as they hung up.

It didn’t escape his notice that she hadn’t even mentioned his mom.

* * *

“And you still owe me ten bucks, Pope!” JJ called, middle finger raised at Pope as he laughed and ran out of the store after his fourth shift in a row. He almost slammed right into Pope’s mom as she was walking towards the store from her car. 

It was the first day where Heyward hadn’t been there to supervise them since he was with his mom and Pope had been in charge of both John B. and JJ. It was definitely Heyward’s mistake and he definitely wouldn’t do that again, but it was fun while it lasted. John B. and JJ had done the bare minimum amount of work and Pope hadn’t been able to stop them from going fishing after delivering groceries. He had physically fought JJ off the wheel after thirty minutes and turned them around. JJ almost felt bad, but John B. was egging him on and they couldn’t be controlled. 

“Why does my son owe you ten bucks?” She asked, smiling at him. He turned around, trying to calm down from their wild shift and smiled at her. 

“He said I couldn’t catch a blue marlin and I did!” He bragged, reaching out to help her with the box she was carrying. 

“Oh, thanks, sweetheart. I’m gonna pretend I didn’t just hear that you were fishing during your shift though, if that’s alright.” Mrs. Heyward said as they walked back into the store. 

“JJ? Uh-uh. Get out and leave me in peace. I will not hesitate to hose you down.” Pope said, backing up towards the back deck when he saw JJ come back in.

“What? Hose me down? I’m just helping your mom. That doesn’t sound work environment friendly, Pope.” JJ smirked, knowing exactly what Pope meant. He and John B. had thrown rotten shrimp at Pope when they had been replacing it with a fresh batch and Pope had to shoot them with the hose to get them to stop, using it on full blast until they turned on each other instead.

“Pope, I hope you were being a good manager today for your daddy.” His mom said, looking between them. “He’s got enough stress with Granny.”

Pope’s mouth opened in protest and JJ felt bad. “He was a perfect replacement, Mrs. Heyward! Just like him.”

“That’s good then. I was just dropping off the new magnets. I guess we’re supposed to give them out to all customers this month, so maybe you boys could lay them out tomorrow.” Mrs. Heyward said as JJ put the box down on the counter. “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you at home, sweetie. JJ, you need a ride? I didn’t see your bike and it’s cold out.”

As much as JJ hated getting rides from adults, he liked Pope’s mom and didn’t actually look forward to the freezing twenty five minute walk to John B.’s or home so he nodded. “That’d be awesome, thanks Mrs. Heyward.” 

“No problem, angel.” She said and they both ignored Pope when he made a disbelieving noise. 

When they got in the car, Mrs. Heyward turned it on before turning to look at JJ. He couldn’t help but get nervous, even though it was just her and he was ninety eight percent sure she wouldn’t do anything to him. She smiled and he smiled back, trying to ignore his heart rate. He felt like such a pussy.

“You know what? I completely forgot I was going to run across the bridge and go get Pope and I some new shoes as an early Christmas present. Do you mind coming with me? It’s always more fun to have someone to talk to, especially with the holiday crowds.” She asked him and JJ had a feeling she had planned this as soon as she had seen him. He also found that he didn’t care, so he nodded before playing it off and shrugging. 

“Yeah, that’s cool. I mean, I guess I have time. And I can help you with Pope’s shoes, cause let’s face it, Mrs. H. We can do better.” He said, looking out the window as she started to drive towards the bridge. 

“It looks like you need new ones too, sweetie. Those are falling apart.” She said, looking at his boots.

“I’ve got other ones at home, these are just my work shoes.” He lied, mentally cursing himself for not having spent money on shoes earlier when he had it. Now Peterkin had all their money and he would have to save up.

“Don’t bullshit me, JJ Maybank. Every time I see you, you’re wearing those. We’re getting you some too and I don’t want to hear another word.” Mrs. Heyward said and JJ could tell he shouldn’t argue with her. 

“I didn’t get paid yet.” He said stupidly, not sure what else he could say to stop her. 

“And? You aren’t paying for your own shoes, sweetie. I’ll cover it. Just like I’m sure your daddy would cover Pope’s shoes for him if we were going through a hard time.” She patted his knee.

JJ almost laughed at the thought of his dad ever doing that. “He’s not going through a hard time. He’s just busy.” He said, trying to defend his dad out of habit. Even when he was a kid, he would have to wait and wait until his dad was either in a good enough mood to be asked for shoes or clothes or was sober enough to finally notice that he needed them. 

“He is going through a hard time, sweetie. That’s why he hasn’t noticed what you need. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. I just meant, I’ve got it, it’s nothing for you to worry about.” 

JJ was confused. His dad had always been the same, sometimes worse than other times, sometimes better, depending on what he was using to make himself feel good. He realized that it was true to some extent, that his dad must be going through a rough time. Just his ‘rough time’ had lasted at least fifteen years and JJ’s had too by association.

They changed the subject and she told him some funny stories about Heyward and some slightly embarrassing ones about Pope that she made him promise not to tell Pope she told him. He promised while keeping his fingers crossed. JJ cheered her on thirty minutes later as they fought for a parking spot and they made their way inside the packed store. 

“Let me call Pope and see which ones he wants.” Mrs. Heyward said when they got to the shoe section. “Go ahead and pick some out, sweetie.” She held the phone up to her ear before switching to Facetime so Pope could see the options. 

“Wait, is that JJ? You kidnapped him and forced him to shop with you, Mom?” Pope laughed through the phone. JJ laughed back. “Finally, some justice has been served for today!”

“I wasn’t kidnapped, Pope. Your mom is the coolest. You’re missing out.” He said, looking at the price tags for the cheapest pair of shoes. 

Pope and his mom talked for a few minutes before she grabbed a box of the shoes he wanted in his size and she turned to JJ. 

“Did you find some?” She asked, smiling at him.

He smiled back at her, holding up the box. “Yeah, I found these. I’m gonna pay you back once I get paid though, Mrs. H.” 

“Let me see them. Are they your size? And no more of that talk, you’re not paying me back.” She reached for the box and opened them.

“You like these? I’ve never seen you wear shoes like these before.” She checked the price. “No, you like boots. And it’s winter, so let’s get you these boots here instead. They’re just like the ones you have!” 

“No, I’m okay, Mrs. H, seriously. My boots now are good, I don’t need new ones.” He said, feeling guilty. “These are perfect.” 

“It’s not an argument. I brought you so you could get shoes you needed and wanted, not so you could pick the cheapest pair.” She picked up the box of boots in his size and marched off towards the ladies section. 

She spent thirty minutes trying on different shoes before picking some and they went over to get in the long line full of holiday shoppers. 

“You need anything else, sweetie? Do you have a hat? Do you need gloves?” She asked him, looking at the racks as they waited. “Is your coat warm enough?”

JJ laughed, not used to anyone checking on him for the winter. “Nah, I’m good, Mrs. H. I’ve got that stuff at home, I swear.” 

“Ok, if you swear then I’ll let it slide for now. Thanks for being so patient while I tried on shoes. Pope and his dad are always rushing me after thirty seconds. It was nice to be with a gentleman.” 

JJ laughed again at being called a gentleman. “You’re literally the only person who would call me a gentleman, Mrs. Heyward. I’m really not.” 

“You are. You’re a sweetheart and you’re polite and you’re a good friend to Pope. Don’t argue with me.” She said, patting him on the back.

JJ’s breath caught and he blinked, looking away and pretending to look at the stuff on the shelf by the cashier.

He wasn’t used to adults complimenting him and he was worried at how emotional it made him. He wasn’t a baby, he didn’t need Pope’s mom to compliment him, but he couldn't deny that it felt good.

They paid and JJ dropped the only coins he had into the Childhood Hunger Prevention donation cup when the cashier held it out to them. He carried the bag and Mrs. H said, “See? Gentleman.” JJ tried to hold back a smile. He opened her car door for her just to exaggerate and she laughed. 

JJ rooted around in his backpack once he was reunited with it and pulled out a crumpled five dollar bill and tried to pass it to her as a down payment. 

“Nope. The only thing I’ll use that for is some ice cream if the machine is working.” She said, shaking her head and pulling over into McDonald’s. The machine was working and JJ was embarrassed at how good it felt, getting new shoes and ice cream with Pope’s mom. He felt like a little kid, but he didn’t really care.

She gave him his change back after, too. Neither of JJ’s parents had ever given JJ back his change.

* * *

The day before Christmas Eve, JJ was attempting to shove his jacket into his backpack along with some other things when his dad came stumbling into the room. JJ had the last bit of a piece of toast hanging out of his mouth as he pushed the jacket in, trying to use as much of his fingers on his broken arm as he could to help fit it when Luke tripped on his own boots laying on the ground and threw one at the wall near him in anger. JJ flinched and tried to hurry up. 

His dad had been awake all night, blasting music, drinking and getting high with his friends. JJ had crept back in through his window after shopping with Pope’s mom, exhausted from work and too tired to walk back to the Chateau when he saw all the cars. JJ had barely slept at all, on edge and unable to relax through the noise, chair under his door, but also too cold and tired to walk to John B.’s.

Neither of them said anything to the other, Luke in his typical hungover rage and JJ, smart enough to know that he was the last person his dad wanted to hear from when he was like that. 

He finally decided to give up shoving it in when he sensed his dad looking at him and he threw the jacket and his backpack on, finishing the toast. They had talked once since the John B. incident, but it had been when his dad was high out of his mind, thanks to JJ’s timing so he was still more on guard near him. He turned to leave, holding his breath that he would be able to when his dad’s voice stopped him. 

“It’s Christmas tomorrow?” He asked JJ and JJ turned around tiredly. 

“Nah, it’s just Christmas Eve tomorrow.” He said, one hand on his strap to his backpack. He turned to go again.

“Stupid fucking holiday. So I guess we gotta go to your damn aunt and uncle’s for dinner.” He said back, easing down onto the sofa and picking up a half-full can of beer off the table. 

JJ bit his lip, realizing that he would now have to tell his dad about Mimi coming if his dad had changed their usual plans to Christmas Eve. His dad was sure to be angry, he hated when he was reminded that JJ had a mom in any way shape or form. Not that he fully could blame him. Most of the time, JJ hated being reminded too. 

“Mimi is coming today and staying tomorrow for Christmas Eve. I thought we were going to Aunt Stacy and them on Christmas Day, like we always do?” He said, taking a small step closer to the door when his dad’s eyes were closed. 

Luke’s eyes immediately shot open once that sunk in. “The fuck? Coming where? She ain’t invited here.”

“She’s getting a hotel close by. We were gonna go to the Heyward’s tomorrow for dinner and then she was gonna go back.” JJ said, taking another step towards the door. 

“Stop trying to walk out.” Luke said, noticing him trying to leave. “Since when do you call the shots? You’re fucking fifteen. You’re supposed to spend it with your family, not with fucking Heyward and some bitch you barely hear from.” 

JJ stopped trying to leave, immediately on guard and defensive. “She’s my grandma.” He said stupidly. _And she’s not a bitch,_ he added mentally.

“Forget you have one. That side’s never done anything for you, you know that. You’re not seeing her.” Luke said to him, glaring at him before taking a sip of beer.

JJ scrunched his eyebrows together quickly in anger before hiding his reaction. “She’s already on her way, Dad.” He said tentatively.

His heart shot out of his chest when his dad suddenly threw the beer can at him with strength he didn’t usually have when hungover. He flinched and tried to duck, but it hit him in the chest and beer went all over his jacket, some spraying up into his hair before it hit his brand new boots and splashed on them too. 

“You’re a worthless piece of shit. You did that on purpose, telling me last minute so it was too late.” He didn’t seem to care that they had no plans tomorrow anyway. 

“I didn’t. I thought you wouldn’t care!” JJ said, getting angry that his dad was trying to pretend they had plans like a normal family and that he was now covered in beer. 

“So you’re saying I’m a shitty father? Your annoying little Routledge friend getting into your head now? After everything I’ve done for you?” He said loudly to him. JJ knew he wanted to yell but his head probably hurt and that was the only thing stopping him from yelling or getting up to grab him. 

“No, I’m not saying that, Dad. I’ll be back on Christmas, I swear.” He said, stomach twisting at what his dad was referencing. 

“Uh-huh. Get the fuck out of my face.” 

JJ darted out of the house, closing the door too loudly and jogging towards John B.’s old bike. He pushed off, trying to ignore the scent of warm beer all over him. He struggled riding to Pope’s, adrenaline making his hands wobbly and exhaustion from the sleepless night setting in before getting into the rhythm, feeling angry as usual at what his dad had done to him. Even though it could have been worse, he was tired of taking it and doing nothing about it. It made him feel ashamed and defenseless, two things he hated the most.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, he and Pope were climbing into Kie’s car, ready to drive to the farm JJ had found to get John B.’s birthday roosters.

“You reek of beer, JJ. It’s like eleven in the morning. You already started drinking?” Kie laughed as he reached into the front to steal her gum she always had in her cupholder. 

“Sorry, I don’t live in a house with a fucking maid who does my laundry, Kie.” He snapped and she looked at him in surprise. “It’s not my fault I’m not rich!”

“Hey, it’s okay, she was just joking. Relax, JJ.” Pope said to him, turning around to look at him with concern from the passenger seat. 

He took a deep breath to try to calm down and ran his hand through his hair before pulling out his winter hat and shoving it on his head. He slid down in the backseat and crossed his arms, not answering. 

“I’m sorry, JJ.” Kie said from the front seat, looking at him cautiously in the rearview mirror. “Did something happen?” 

“No, I’m just tired cause my fucking dad was up all night partying with his friends. I couldn't sleep at all. So no, Kie, nothing happened besides the usual. I’m just saying it’s not all rainbows and sunshine on The Cut.” He knew he was taking it out on her for no reason, but he was always angry after his dad did shit to him and he couldn’t take his anger out on who he wanted to, so his friends sometimes bore the brunt. He knew he would apologize later and hoped she would forgive him.

“I know it’s not.” Kie said, driving them away from Pope’s house. “I’m sorry.” 

JJ didn’t answer just to be a little shit and Pope didn’t try to push him to either. They knew to leave him alone when he was like this. Pope and Kie talked quietly on the drive, music low and JJ rested his head against the window, exhausted. 

An hour later, JJ was shaken awake when Kie pulled off the paved road to go down a bumpy dirt driveway. 

“Sleeping Beauty’s up.” Pope laughed to Kie and JJ felt a little better after sleeping so he kicked the back of Pope’s seat playfully and flipped him off.

“Uncle Larry’s Cocks and Hens. Classy. How’d you find this place, JJ? And please don’t say Craigslist or some sketchy shit like that.” Kie said as they pulled up in her car, reading the sign by the end of the long dirt driveway.

“Yes, Craigslist, Kie. I already talked to Larry on the phone and everything so we’re all set. Apparently, this dude has the best roosters in North Carolina. And he cut me a deal!” JJ said excitedly, bad mood pushed aside at the thought. 

“Craigslist? Great, we’re officially gonna die.” Pope said, shaking his head and covering his eyes in stress.

“Relax, Pope. His sign is real, he’s real. Now let’s go get John B. a cock!” JJ said, hoping out when Kie parked.

“As the only female here, can we please call them roosters? I can’t deal with the cock jokes all day.” Kie said as she and Pope joined him. Pope nodded and JJ laughed before charging off towards the dilapidated house. 

“Uncle Larry? We’re here about the roosters?” He called as he banged on the door. 

“Why are you calling him _Uncle_ Larry? That’s weird.” Pope laughed. 

“I’m showing respect, Pope.” JJ said like it was obvious.

They all looked at each other nervously when there was an angry shout from inside before the door was cracked open, the chain preventing it from opening all the way. They saw the sliver of a very tall man with a long grey beard glaring at them and JJ smiled at him. 

“I called you yesterday? We made that deal about two roosters for the price of one? We’ve got the money, so we're good for it.” He said to the man.

The man didn’t open the door. “What was the codeword I told you to say if I really talked to you?”

JJ laughed and said, “Cock-a-doodle-doo.”

He laughed again when he saw Kie and Pope mouth “what the fuck?” to each other.

“Pass me the money and I’ll let you see the cocks.”

“Um. Okay? Can you at least show us them first?” JJ said, wanting to laugh again.

“They’re in the coop out back. Money, now. Or I’ll get you off my property by force.” Larry said. 

“Alright, alright. Kie? You heard the man.” JJ said as Kie pulled out the wad of cash they had all pitched in together. JJ had barely been able to contribute but they had agreed he could when he got paid. 

“I don’t know, shouldn’t we look at them first?” She said, but she passed it to him anyways. 

“Yeah, JJ, this feels weird. I think it's a trap.” Pope whispered to him as he passed the man the money. 

As soon as the money was within reach, the man’s arm shot out and grabbed it from JJ, slamming the door shut. JJ pounded on it immediately.

“Hey! Come on, man! Can’t you show us the roosters? Do you have a cage for the ride home?”

“You have five minutes to go get two from out back and get the hell off my property before I start shooting. And just two.” Larry called back. 

“Shit. Let’s go!” JJ said, running down the steps and heading towards the back of the house to find the coop. 

“JJ! What the hell? We’re gonna die! Let’s just go! We don't need to get shot over rooters!” Pope whispered frantically as he and Kie followed him. 

“Relax. I can tell he’s all talk. We’ve got five minutes, let’s get them and go.” JJ said, finding the coop and approaching it.

“Gross. How are we gonna ride an hour back with loose roosters in my car? You’re cleaning my car after this, JJ.” Kie said, but she walked up to the coop too before letting out a gasp.

“Holy shit.”

There were four roosters, all skinny and sick looking, passed out in what they hoped was sleep on the floor of a horrifyingly dirty coop. There was barbed wire to prevent them from leaving and they were clearly severely neglected. JJ reached in and touched one, smiling when it woke up and cooed. 

“They’re alive. Let’s save them all.” He said, picking one up, pulling it carefully through the bared wire so it didn't touch it. It let him, too weak to try to get away. 

“Um, how about hell no? We don’t need Uncle Larry shooting us for taking all his roosters!” Pope said as Kie picked one up and shoved it into his arms. 

“Shut up, Pope. They’re being abused, we need to save them. Here, take this one too so I can start the car. Run in zig zags in case he does try to shot.” Kie said as she pulled out her keys and jogged towards the car. 

“Kie! What is this, Fast and Furious? I’m not getting shot stealing Uncle Larry’s roosters!” He yelled and they heard movement from inside the house. 

“Shit. Nice going, Pope. Run!” JJ said, grabbing the last rooster and running to Kie’s car. They heard the chain coming off and the door being ripped open right as Pope threw himself into the backseat with JJ and he barely slammed the door as they heard a rifle being cocked. Kie peeled out of the driveway, almost knocking the mailbox over, Pope, JJ and the roosters all getting thrown around in the backseat.

“Woohoo! Hell yeah, Kie! Saving animals and taking no prisoners!” JJ cheered from the back.

“We’re going to jail. For stealing roosters.” Pope said miserably as he hugged them to him. 

“Be careful with John B, Pope.” JJ said to him as he put the other rooster down on the seat next to him.

“John B?” Pope asked with dread.

“Yeah. Obviously those are their names, since there’s four of them. Pope, Kie, JJ and John B. The Pogue Roosters.” He said, smiling.

“Roosters are boys, JJ.” Kie said from the front seat.

“There can be two John B.’s then.” JJ shrugged, petting his rooster. “Anyways, let’s take them to my house. They can stay in the yard until John B.’s birthday, we’ve already got some. I’ve got to go meet my grandma soon anyways.”

“Nothing like a little theft before meeting your grandma.” Pope laughed before groaning when one of the roosters started crowing in his ear.

* * *

“You must be John B! JJ’s best friend in the whole world? He used to talk about you so much as a kid! We all asked why it was John _B._ and he would get so defensive, it was so cute. He said the B was cause you’re special.” Mimi said as she turned around and smiled at John B. when he got in the backseat of her station wagon on Christmas Eve.

“Aw, JJ! That’s so sweet. Thanks for protecting my B.” John B. joked as he smiled at Mimi.

“Shut up, John B. I didn’t do that, Mimi. Your B can protect itself.” JJ said, embarrassed.

“It absolutely cannot protect itself. Keep up the honorable work.” John B. said. Mimi started driving and JJ took a pen he found in the cupholder and threw it at John B.

“Mimi, you cannot be JJ’s _grandma._ There’s no way, you’re way too young!” John B. said to Mimi as they drove. JJ couldn’t tell if he was being a suck up or not but either way he reached his arm behind the headrest like he was stretching and flipped John B. off.

“That’s very sweet. JJ's grandpa and I started young and then JJ’s mom was young. But I’m definitely old enough to be a grandma! But boys, please please please, remember: no glove, no love. Especially with all those diseases you can get and give. Not that having your mom or her having you was a mistake, JJ.” Mimi said. “I just don’t want to be a great grandma yet!” 

JJ forced a laugh at the mention of his mom. If he knew anything, he knew he was a mistake. Both of his parents told him he was the result of a drunken weekend at one of his dad's speed boat competitions.

“Gloves are always used, Mimi, I can promise you that.” John B. laughed. 

“She’s not Mimi to you, dumbass.” JJ laughed. 

They argued a little more on the way, before Mimi quizzed John B. and he revealed to her that Uncle Teddy would in fact be back tomorrow for Christmas and his birthday, surprising JJ. John B. seemed happy about it, so he didn't say anything.

They pulled up to the Heyward’s and rang the doorbell, Mimi holding a big bag full of treats for them. 

John B. walked right in without waiting for an answer and JJ said to Mimi, “You see this? I have to teach him everything. He’s just not polite.” 

Mimi laughed and John B. shoved him before realizing how many people were there. “What the hell? They invite everyone in town to Christmas Eve!” 

Pope’s mom let out an excited squeal and rushed them. “You must be JJ’s grandma! We are so excited you made it! Your dad couldn’t make it, JJ? John B, where’s Teddy?” She asked, hugging Mimi.

All three of them tried to answer her at once, but Mimi won. “Thanks for having me and JJ. These are for you guys- just some little treats! And no Luke today. It’s better for JJ if we aren’t in the same place.” She laughed and JJ nodded. That was one way to put it.

“Teddy’s coming back tomorrow from a job, Mrs. Heyward.” John B. offered. 

“Ok, well that’s good that you’re here, sweetie. Let me introduce you to our friends! They’ll love you! Pope is in his room with his cousins if you boys want to save him before dinner.” Mrs. Heyward called over her shoulder as she dragged Mimi towards the adults.

JJ looked at John B. and smiled. John B. smiled back, knowing what he was thinking. “Want to get high before we save Pope?” John B. asked when JJ didn’t say it. 

“Oh my god, hell yeah. I couldn’t all day cause of Mimi. Or yesterday. I don’t know how Kie and Pope do it with adults watching them all the time.” He said, walking towards the back door in the kitchen, already reaching into his pocket. 

“Where are you two going?” Pope’s voice called to them desperately. They turned and saw him trying to shake off two little boys who were clinging to him. He finally shook them off and made it over to them. 

JJ and John B. looked at each other, trying not to smile and Pope groaned. “No! Absolutely not! It’s Christmas Eve! JJ, you’re grandma is here, right? No. Especially not at my house!” He blocked the door and crossed his arms.

“My grandma’s a stoner, Pope. Please, I need it! It’s been twenty four hours!” JJ said, trying to push him out of the way. 

“If she’s a stoner, why didn’t you do it with her?” Pope asked, pushing him off him. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He said when JJ didn’t have an answer. 

“Relax, Pope. It’s the holidays! We’ll back in ten minutes to help you with those cousins.” John B. said, trying to push Pope off the door too.

“What the hell are you two doing to my son?” Heyward’s voice boomed from behind them into the empty kitchen. 

JJ and John B. both jumped away from Pope and turned towards Heyward innocently. “We heard there’s a really cool star you can see tonight, Heyward. The North Star? But Pope said we have to play with his cousins first and we didn’t want to. No offense.” JJ lied immediately.

“They’re trying to get high.” Pope said with no remorse.

“Pope, what the hell, man?” John B. said and JJ gave him an utterly betrayed look. 

“Uh-huh. That sounds more like it. No one’s getting high. JJ, your grandma? She seems real nice. She doesn’t need to hear that her grandson’s out here getting high on Christmas Eve, does she?” Heyward said, eyebrows raised at them. 

“No, sir, she absolutely does not. Because no one’s getting high. You need some help with anything?” JJ said, walking over to him and helping him grab some trays of food. 

“Yeah, all three of you can help. Bring this stuff out here and unwrap it. It goes on the main table. And Merry Christmas!” Heyward said, walking out with two platters of food. 

“Thanks a lot, Pope.” JJ said and John B. threw a cookie at him. Pope laughed at them and threw one back at John B. 

“No regrets.” He laughed. “You can go one night without it.” 

“How do you know? If I go into withdrawal and die, it’s on you.” JJ said to him. 

“It’s not on me, but sure. If you go into withdrawal, I’ll take the blame. Now let’s go. I’m starving. They’ve been jumping on me all day.” He said, looking over his shoulder for his cousins. 

“This is the life.” John B. said as he carried out the dishes of food and put them on the table before grabbing a plate. “Your parents are like the best cooks on the island.”

“Don’t let Kie hear you say that. She’ll tell her dad.” Pope said, grabbing a plate and sitting down.

“We need to call her later and see how Kookmas is going.” JJ said, smiling when Mimi sat down next to him. 

“What’s Kookmas? Call who?” She asked him with a smile.

“Kookmas? It’s hard to explain. But we were just saying we need to call our other friend Kie and see how her Christmas is going. She gets trapped on the rich side of the island even though she belongs with us.” JJ said to Mimi as he piled food onto his plate and passed her the next dish. 

“Poor girl. You’re a good friend, sweetie.” Mimi said to him. 

John B. smirked at him from across the table where he was sitting next to Heyward’s mom. “He is a good friend. Do you have any embarrassing JJ stories?”

“No, she doesn’t because I’m not embarrassing. Let’s tell some John B. stories. Mimi, this one time in sixth grade-” JJ started before Heyward’s mom cut them all off. 

“Who’s this boy with the annoying blouse?” She said to Heyward, pointing at John B. John B. opened his mouth in offense but JJ and Pope choked with laughter. 

“Mama, that’s Pope’s friend. Be nice.” Heyward said, but he laughed a little, too. Mrs. Heyward slapped his arm and he stopped.

“I’m John B. And it’s just style, ma’am.” John B. said to her.

“Jombay? What kind of name is that?” She asked him.

“What kind of name is Pope?” He said defensively. “No offense Mr. and Mrs. Heyward.”

“Nice. Keep talking, Jombay.” JJ laughed at him.

“Can I just say? Thank you for having me here with your beautiful family. I'm so happy I'm spending Christmas Eve with my favorite boy and his wonderful friends.” Mimi interrupted, putting a hand on JJ’s arm to stop him from teasing John B.

“Oh, you're so kind! Thank you for coming. It’s not everyday that we have a special guest from Florida!” Mrs. Heyward said to her, passing her the rolls. 

“I’m from Florida, you old goat.” Pope’s aunt said to her. 

“I said special. You’re here all the damn time.” Mrs. Heyward joked and she laughed when her sister threw a roll at her. 

“Oh shit. Your family is savage, Pope!” JJ said to him.

“No, JJ, don’t get any ideas. JJ, no!” Pope said as JJ picked up a spoonful of mashed potatoes and pretended like he was gonna fling them at John B.

“Do it and I’ll tell your grandma about what you did on December 15th, 2017 at the docks.” John B. threatened.

JJ dropped the spoon immediately.

* * *

“I’m gonna hit the road, sweetie. It was so fun getting to see you and meet your friend’s family. You’ve got good friends, make sure you keep them. Except I didn’t get to meet Kay.” She said as she zipped up her bag Christmas morning. They had stayed at Pope’s late and JJ had spent the night on the cot in her hotel room so he could say bye. She had stuffed a bunch of money and treats in a stocking for him when he woke up and it was better than most Christmas mornings he had so far. 

“It’s Kie, but yeah next time you can. If you want to come back, I mean.” He said, not sure if she would want to. “Thanks for coming, Mimi.” 

“Want to? You can’t keep me away, baby.” She said, hugging him.

He helped her with her suitcase as she checked out and put it in her beat up station wagon for her. He bit his lip, not sure if he wanted to know but the words came out before he could stop them.

“Did you ever talk to my mom?” He asked as she turned towards him to say bye before getting in the car. 

He watched as her face went from surprised to worried to sad all in a two second period of time and his stomach sunk.

“Yeah, I did, sweetie.” She said and JJ could tell she was trying to figure out what to say. He opened his mouth to tell her it was fine and he didn’t need to know but she continued. 

“You know, I think she’s still sober, but the drugs really messed with part of her brain. You know that, right? And she’s still not thinking clearly. She thinks everyone’s against her and it’s impossible to get through to her. But I know she loves you and I know the real her, the one before the drugs, would have been here with you for Christmas.” She said, reaching out to touch his arm.

He backed up without thinking about it, stomach sinking. “So she still hates me?” He asked, mind racing. 

“No, she loves you! She could never hate you! She just can’t get past what happened with your dad and things like that and she has a hard time separating you and him in her mind sometimes. She’s working on it, I promise. I’m not going to give up.” Mimi said and she pulled him into a hug.

JJ felt like a crybaby for wanting to cry so he tried really hard not to actually cry with Mimi and he kept his voice as steady as possible. “Can you just tell her that I’m sorry and that I’m not like him?” He asked, not knowing why that was so important for her to know.

“No. Because you have nothing to be sorry for, JJ. She knows you’re not like him deep down. This is what I'm working with her on. I want her to go to therapy. And you know what? She is the one who needs to be apologizing to you, JJ. For a whole lot of things. So promise me you’ll try not to worry and trust that we’re working on her.” Mimi said to him as she pulled away.

“Okay.” JJ said, wanting to leave and go get high. He didn't believe any of what she was saying about his mom. She definitely still hated him and she definitely wasn't going to apologize.

“Love you. I’ll text you when I’m back home, okay? Don’t worry. And have fun at your aunt and uncle’s with your dad, okay?” She said as she opened her car door.

“Love you too. Thanks for coming.” He said, already starting to back up and turn away, face crumpling. 

She blew a kiss and drove off. He practically ran to the trees by the beach nearby to get high.

* * *

“One more hour till your birthday, bro. Are you gonna wish for better surfing skills? Or better style? Or better-” 

JJ was cut off by John B. throwing some bait at him. He caught it and threw it back, hitting John B. in the forehead. 

“I don’t need to wish for that shit because I already have it. You should start wishing though, dumbass. Six months to go for you. That might be enough time for it to work if you start now.” John B. said.

They were night fishing at the end of the Chateau's dock, hats and jackets on and beer piled up on the bench, no cooler needed. JJ was trying to hold his pole and smoke a blunt and finally gave up and wedged his pole in between the dilapidated wood of the dock. 

He had come over as soon as he could escape his aunt and uncle’s, dragging his wasted dad into their house and making sure he was on his side with some water and Advil before dipping. His dad had given him a six pack for Christmas and JJ had continued his usual tradition of stealing some kind of hard liquor for him from the store. His dad had given him a hug the first time he had done that when he was eleven and it had become his tradition ever since. His dad drank the whole thing before they even went to his aunt's and hadn't stopped all day. 

John B. had been relieved when Teddy returned earlier that day, but JJ could tell he was down and knew he was thinking about his dad and his first holiday and birthday without him. He hadn’t talked about it with him yet, but he had secretly suggested night fishing to see if John B. needed some time to talk. He was always more likely after a lot of beers, nothing but the sound of the water and whatever JJ was doing.

“Whatever, John B. You were on this Earth six months earlier and you still can’t do a good floater.” He joked, dodging another thing of bait when it was thrown at him.

“Shut up, JJ. I’ve been doing floaters since I was ten.” John B. said, but he was smiling a little and JJ felt successful. 

They went silent, focused on their lines in the water and getting high. 

“I miss my dad.” John B. finally said and JJ could tell from his voice that he was either crying or on the way to crying.

“Yeah, I miss him too. I bet he’s on some island right now, eating coconuts and catching lobsters with his bare hands. Living the life, waiting for some airplane to fly over and pick him up. I bet he’s thinking about you turning sixteen.” JJ said, hoping that would make John B. feel better. 

“Maybe. Actually, yeah, I hope so. I mean, he must be stuck since he hasn’t been back yet. I bet he is eating lobster. He’s the type of dude that would know what day it is, too. Probably has a calendar he carved into a palm tree.” John B. said, smiling a little in the dark at JJ. JJ smiled back. 

“Totally. He’s probably got a whole set up with a tent made out of palm leaves and shit. And a big ass fire, right on the beach.” JJ laughed.

John B. laughed and was silent again for a minute. “Thanks, JJ.”

“Pogues for life, JB.”

JJ felt really high all of the sudden, his cousin’s cripple kicking in and he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the dock.

“JJ?” John B.’s voice cut through his high and he could barely get up the energy to answer him.

“JB?” JJ repeated in the same tone, laughing when he felt another shrimp hit him.

“Can we talk about something?” John B. asked and JJ opened his eyes at the change in tone, immediately on guard. The weed dulled his senses, but it didn’t stop his heart from beating faster.

“Depends.” He said in a defensive tone, hoping John B. would get the hint.

“Don’t get mad, okay? But do you remember that time when we were kids? When you disappeared for like a month?” He asked, knowing that JJ would probably pretend like he didn’t know what he was talking about. 

“No. Shut up, John B, seriously.” JJ said, crossing his arms and closing his eyes, turning his head like he was going to go to sleep even though his legs were ready to spring up and leave if John B. kept talking.

“Can’t we talk about it? Cause I’ve been thinking about it and I think something really fucke-” 

JJ cut him off. “No, no, and no. Shut up, John B. I’m not talking about that. Ever.” He stood up quickly, heart racing.

“JJ-wait! I just want to help you.” John B. said, trying to get up too. “It’s just, when we were kids I didn’t know what the fuck had happened. And now we’re older and I’m realizing and I’m so pissed that something like that happened to you.”

“Nothing happened to me. I was telling stories, like I always do. Shut up.” JJ said, grabbing his bag and shoving everything into it so he could leave. 

“Will you just let me try to help you?” John B. said, frustrated.

“No, John B. You don’t get to do this. You don’t get to use my fucking childhood to get revenge just because you’re bored or because we can’t find your dad. You don’t get to.” JJ said, walking down the dock. He felt sick and images he worked hard to repress were coming up. He felt his hands getting shaky and his breathing was fast and he needed to get away. 

“I want to get this guy for you, JJ!” John B. called.

“There’s no fucking guy, John B. Just shut up!” JJ said, voice tight and angry. His shoulders were tense and his heart was beating so loudly he could hear it in his ears. 

“JJ! Don’t leave! I’m sorry! Forget I mentioned it!” John B. called after JJ as he stumbled down the dock and tried to make his way towards his bike. His vison felt like it was clouding in on him and it wasn't just the weed.

JJ felt only slightly guilty leaving John B. an hour before his birthday, but if he was honest he couldn’t see or think past his rushing thoughts as he started to bike away unsteadily. He gave up and walked off angrily down the driveway instead when he almost crashed into a tree. 

"JJ!" John B. called after him into the darkness.

JJ threw up in the bushes at the end of the driveway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't fit John B.'s birthday in this because that day is now going to be so drama filled that it's basically going to be it's own chapter. Because this turned into a beast! Poor John B. and JJ. They'll make up, I promise. 
> 
> I know there was a Kie shortage, I love them all and try to get them all in as equally as possible but she just couldn't be at the Heyward's for Christmas/the holidays cause her parents would not be down with that. She'll be back more in the next one! Also, sorry that it's all Christmas, I know there are lots of wonderful holidays at that time of year! 
> 
> A lot is going to go down in the next chapter!


	15. It's John B's Birthday and I Can Cry If I Want To

JJ stumbled down the road from John B.’s before quickly dipping into the woods so he couldn’t find him. He heard him calling after him but his feet kept moving. He tripped over a branch before catching himself on a tree and leaned against it, rubbing his hands over his face to try to calm down. He felt shaky and sick and he knew it had nothing to do with the weed. If anything, he was scared to think how he would have reacted if he hadn’t been high. 

He kept walking after a few minutes of trying to take deep breaths to calm down and his feet subconsciously took him to the treehouse. He debated about whether he should climb up and hide out there until he could calm down or if it was too easy for John B. to find him. 

He was cold and tired so he crawled up into it anyways, happy to see that their blankets were still there as he crawled in and pulled one around him. It smelled like outside air and rain and he lifted another one to find that the vodka he had hidden there was still there. He laid down after drinking some of it, hoping he could drink enough to put him to sleep so he could forget about what was trying to swirl in his mind. 

He stared into space and focused on the tarp roof of the treehouse, not really seeing it as it blew in the wind. JJ’s hand on his non-broken arm was clenched so hard into a fist that he wasn’t surprised to see that some blood from his fingernails had appeared on his palm when he felt wetness. 

He moved his hand to his upper arm, squeezing it hard while he tried not to think about anything. It wasn’t long before he heard John B.’s voice, maybe thirty minutes after he had left and he ignored it, trying to hide in the dark under the blanket, hoping he wouldn’t see him when he popped through to check.

“JJ?” He heard again and he forced himself to be completely still as he heard him climbing the ladder. 

“JJ, you there?” John B. whispered into the dark square of a treehouse. He felt a hand on his ankle and he jumped out of surprise before cursing himself when John B. climbed all the way in. 

He didn’t move again, planning on ignoring John B. until he left, but he felt guilty when he realized it was probably officially his birthday. He was the worst friend ever. If he hadn’t been so fucked up, John B. wouldn’t be chasing him in the dark winter night of his sixteenth birthday to check on him.

“It’s you, right? And not some random homeless dude?” John B. tried to joke as he squished next to JJ.

“Just go away, John B.” JJ forced himself to say. 

“I’m not just gonna leave you alone outside all night after I made you run off, JJ. Come home with me. I promise I won’t mention it.” He said and JJ could hear that he felt guilty. 

JJ stayed silent and John B. reached out to pull the blanket back. JJ grabbed it hard and pulled it over his head. 

“JJ, come on. I promise. I can’t leave you alone on Christmas out here in this tree. T’s asleep already anyway. It’ll just be us.” He tried again.

“Ever? You promise you won’t ever mention it again?” JJ asked, keeping his eyes squeezed shut as he waited for John B.’s answer. 

John B. stayed silent for a minute and JJ felt sick again just knowing that John B. was thinking about it.

“Just come back with me tonight” He finally said.

“Screw you, John B. Seriously. Screw you. Happy Birthday and all that shit, but I’m not going to sit around waiting for you to decide when you’re gonna ruin my fucking life next. You don’t know what the fuck you’re messing with.” JJ said, finally pulling the blanket away from himself and sitting up.

“What? I’m not trying to ruin your life! I’m trying to help you!” John B. said back, angry and confused.

“There’s _nothing_ to help me with. This isn’t like one of our little plans. This is serious shit.” JJ said, reaching for the bottle.

“Clearly there is or you wouldn’t be puking in the bushes and running away. I think if you talk about it a little you might feel better. And we might be able to help you!” John B. said, grabbing the bottle of vodka before JJ could pick it up.

“ _We?_ Talk about it with anyone and I will run away for real. I swear to god, John B, you won’t see me again. So, promise you won’t tell anyone! You have to promise!” JJ said, heart beating fast in panic at the thought of his deepest secret being spilled to Pope and Kie.

“Okay, okay! I wasn’t going to tell anyone! But you clearly need help, JJ! Let me help you! It’s _me!_ ” John B. said, frustrated. 

JJ shook his head and pushed the blanket all the way off of himself and stood up into an unsteady crouch, too tall to stand up all the way without hitting the roof. He made it to the ladder and tried to head down but John B. reached for him. He reacted without thinking about it, not wanting to be touched and pushed John B away, hard. He fell backwards into the wall and JJ barely noticed, so focused on getting away.

“Get the fuck away from me.” JJ said shakily, climbing down the ladder as fast as he could. 

“JJ, wait! I promise! I won’t tell anyone else. Just please, promise me you’ll come over in the morning! Don’t run away!” John B. said, following him down. 

“I’m not actually fucking running away, John B! I have nowhere to go, in case you missed it! I’m going home, 'cause my dad’s fucking passed out drunk so I can actually sleep for once. Relax. I’ll see you later.” He called, turning away again and walking through the woods. He was almost disappointed when John B. didn’t follow him.

JJ crawled in his window out of habit, falling and tripping from how high and disoriented he was. He pulled his jacket off before pulling on two sweatshirts since it was freezing in the house and creeping out to check if his dad was still passed out drunk. His stomach lurched at the smell of alcohol coming from the area near his dad and he barely made it to the bathroom in time before throwing up. 

His dad was sleeping soundly and JJ watched him for a second before reaching to turn off the light. He turned to try to go lay down when he heard his dad’s slur. 

“That you?”

JJ rubbed his eyes and didn’t turn around. “Yeah. I was just checking on you.” 

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” His dad asked and JJ turned around, confused. 

“What?” He asked his dad. His dad never cared if he was awake or asleep.

“You can’t sleep?” His dad repeated, drinking from a beer can near him. He was already leaning his head back and closing his eyes again and JJ knew he must have taken pills after he had left by the way he was acting. 

“No. You mind if I watch TV?” JJ asked, remembering what he used to do as a kid when his dad was blackout high or drunk and he couldn’t sleep. He would spend hours watching tv next to him, scared that if he fell asleep his dad would die and he would be alone.

His dad grunted without opening his eyes and JJ sat down on the sofa next to him, turning the tv on. He stared at his dad instead of the tv, thinking about asking him something but not wanting to really think about it or find out the answer. 

“Dad?” He asked him and his dad didn’t answer. He tried again, not daring to touch his dad no matter what state he was in, but spoke louder. “Dad?”

His dad grunted again to let him know he heard him. “You remember when I stayed with Mom? In Florida?”

His dad’s eye cracked open and if JJ wasn’t so anxious and high he almost could have laughed at how the mention of his mom always got a reaction from his dad, even when high out of his mind. 

“What about it? You still can’t sleep because of that motherfucker?” His dad said and JJ wasn’t sure who was the highest one anymore because he wasn’t sure if his dad could tell what year it was. They hadn’t talked about this in almost five years. 

“I ain’t scared.” JJ said, feeling sick at the thought. He had convinced himself for so long that none of it had actually happened that getting confirmation from his dad almost made him want to throw up from the images that came flooding up.

“Good. 'Cause you know your daddy dealt with him.” Luke said, closing his eyes again. “I love you, son.” He reached his hand out blindly for JJ’s shoulder.

Some tears fell down JJ’s face at the mention of the aftermath and he swallowed before answering him. 

“I love you too, Dad.”

* * *

JJ eventually fell asleep for a few hours on the sofa next to his dad, exhaustion and anxiety catching up with him. He woke up when his dad stumbled to the bathroom, cursing when he tripped on something on the way.

JJ rubbed his eyes and looked around, sitting up. He was more or less sober and saw that the sun hadn’t even started to rise through the window. His stomach clenched when he thought about last night and John B. He checked his phone and saw a million messages and calls from him, but ignored them to look at the time: 4:45am.

He knew John B. better than anyone and knew he wouldn’t drop it. He couldn’t face the thought of being near him while knowing that he was thinking about it and imagining scenarios and waiting to bring it up again. He had honestly thought John B. had forgotten about it when they were kids and he would never have to speak to anyone about it again. He hated himself for telling John B. about it.

He heard his dad coming back so he turned the tv off and stood up, heading towards his room to get his stuff. He knew he couldn’t sleep, despite how tired he was and he couldn’t go to John B.’s, but he didn’t want to stay home any longer. 

After changing his clothes and switching out the ones in his backpack, he climbed back out of his window and headed off for the road. He was starving so he put his backpack on the ground to root around for the money Mimi had given him. His mood decreased when he came back with nothing, not even any change. He realized that someone at his aunt and uncle’s must have rooted through his bag and stolen it.

“Fuck!” He said, ripping his hat off his head and kicking a nearby tree. It hurt his foot more than the tree so he hopped around, holding his toe. Without even a dollar, he couldn’t get away with his usual plan of buying something and stealing the rest. 

As his brain always did, he quickly came to the conclusion that he could just steal something and pawn it off again. Or steal some cash. He raked his brain for good places and decided to stay away from the houses on Figure Eight, with him so freshly on the radar and their cameras and with Peterkin on his case. 

He briefly thought about stealing from The Wreck and found his feet taking him that way as the sun rose without thinking it through. He told his conscience that he was just living up to what Mr. C and all the other Kooks thought of him and so he was really just making it faster for everyone to realize who he was supposed to become. Not that he would be caught. He had quickly learned The Wreck’s schedule and knew he was an hour early before the first employees started opening up. 

Mr. C might hate him now, but he apparently didn’t think JJ would steal from him after the original accusations because the key to open up was still in the super secret hiding spot behind the dumpster and JJ knew exactly what door to use to avoid the only camera they had. 

He thought about turning around with almost every other thought that he had as he opened the back door to the kitchen and stepped through the dark. Mr. C might be a Kook, but The Wreck had always been more old-school Pogue style, no alarms and one front door camera. If he had been smart, he would have gotten both an alarm and a camera system after the last incident, but lucky for JJ, he wasn’t.

He quickly pulled up his gator and pulled his winter hat on and low over his hair and eyes, before pulling his hood up. Walking fast, he made his way to the security box he knew Mr. C kept in his office, punching in the old code and almost turning around when it opened. 

He took three twenty dollar bills, not really wanting to hurt Kie’s dad financially, but wanting to take enough to last him the week for food and weed if his cousin cut him a deal.

He glanced at the picture of Kie in her tutu as a kid and put the money back in, letting the box slam closed and walking towards the door. He thought about it for a split second before turning back, grabbing the money again.

He slammed the box shut and shoved it back before he could change his mind, glancing at the picture of Kie again guiltily before shoving the cash into his pocket and walking towards the kitchen. He told himself that none of them would ever find out about this. He picked up his backpack and threw it on his back before locking the door and putting the key back in the hiding spot. 

It was one of the first times he had stolen something where he didn’t feel any kind of excitement or high after it and he almost immediately regretted it. 

JJ walked until he was back on The Cut and went into the convenience store, buying a water bottle and a day old muffin, shoving more shit in his pockets before breaking in one of the twenties. He shoved the change in his pocket guiltily and looked at the birthday cards before going back up to the cashier and buying a stupid one with a rooster on it for John B. In case he decided to go there. Not that he was going to. But just in case. 

* * *

He went to his cousin’s shack of a house he had out in the woods, even farther out than his aunt and uncle’s house and was thankful that Mrs. Heyward had forced new boots on him last week because his other boots wouldn’t have made it with how much he had been walking today. 

His cousin and his friends were still awake from a Christmas party the night before and he greeted JJ enthusiastically like it was normal to be outside at seven in the morning, shirtless, wearing Santa Claus pajama bottoms with five other dudes. JJ hadn’t seen him at his aunt and uncle’s the night before and he hadn’t blamed him. He hadn’t wanted to be there either. 

“JJ, my favorite little stoner cousin! What’s up, man? You want the usual?” Jordan called to him and his friends laughed. 

“I’ve got some fucking dinero to spend, bro. I want more than the usual. And you got any more of that shit?” JJ called back as he got closer, pointing to their red cups. His friends laughed again for no reason and JJ knew he had found where he was going to be for the next few hours. You didn’t laugh like that unless you were cross-faded in the best way possible.

“Of course. I’ll give you the family discount on the hydro. How much you got? Show me the cash and get a cup. It’s Jungle Juice.” Jordan said, getting up to get what JJ wanted.

JJ got a cup from the stack and went over to the plastic tub filled with bright green jungle juice and poured it, chugging it in one go.

“JJ? How much cash you got? So I know how big to make your little baggy?” Jordan asked him again.

“Forty.” He answered, pulling out two of the twenties and waving them around. He filled up another cup before walking over to Jordan and slapping it into his hand.

“You’re always so fucking strapped for a fifteen year old. You’re lucky no one catches you stealing shit.” Jordan said before he disappeared inside. 

JJ sat down on the front porch with his cousin’s friends, laughing stupidly along with them after two more cups. He continued to get drunker as the morning went on, but by noon, most of Jordan’s friends had headed inside, finally exhausted from their night. JJ stayed until Jordan himself headed inside, throwing JJ his bags of weed before saying bye.

JJ borrowed a pen from Jordan’s messy table on his porch to try to drunkenly write a short message to John B. inside the rooster card before giving up and signing his name instead. He stood up too quickly, swaying on his feet. He decided that he couldn’t miss John B.’s birthday, especially not with his dad missing already and everything from last night was feeling easier to handle while drunk.

It was 12:45 by the time he made it to John B.’s driveway. He walked down it, glaring when he saw Teddy’s car and he kicked the fender as he walked past. 

“I saw that! I’m sorry I dated your mom ten years ago, but damn. Get over it!” Teddy called from the hammock. JJ almost jumped, surprised by him. He hadn’t seen anyone. 

At some point over the morning as he was getting drunker and drunker with his cousin’s friends, JJ had decided that everything that had happened during his childhood was somehow Teddy’s fault. He had decided that his mom leaving had all started with her and Teddy. That Teddy was the reason his mom started to date other men and get boyfriends who got her addicted to heroin and caused her to start leaving him. 

And it was Teddy’s fault that his mom had picked a monster for a boyfriend when he was ten. He felt relieved coming to the conclusion and placing all the blame on John B.’s deadbeat uncle and he knew it was part of the reason he had come over, even if he told himself it was for John B. 

“Fuck you! You ruined everything! I fucking hate you! Don’t tell me to get over it!” He yelled back at Teddy, angry when Teddy didn’t react and just waved a hand, going back to his newspaper.

“Go sleep it off, kid.” 

“No! Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do?” JJ yelled back, walking closer.

“JJ? What’s going on?” He heard from the porch. He turned towards the voice and got annoyed at John B. for stopping him from getting revenge. 

“Pope and Kie are coming soon, they said they were calling you all morning and couldn’t find you. We were all really worried about you.” John B. said to him in his stupid calm voice that usually relaxed JJ against his will when he was wound up.

“I was with my cousin, John B. He had the good shit, so I got you a birthday bag.” JJ said, turning and walking towards him, not caring that Teddy could see them. He threw one of the baggies at John B. who caught it. 

“Thanks, dude. You good?” John B. asked, glancing over at Teddy to see if he saw before raising his eyebrows when JJ had to use the railing to help get up the steps. 

“Jordan had Jungle Juice. Had to drink some to celebrate in your honor.” 

“Alright. So, Kie and Pope are coming at two and we were gonna go to the mainland to get my license. Uncle T signed my forms. You wanna come?” John B. asked, reaching out a hand to help JJ when he swayed before thinking twice about touching him and dropping his hand. 

“Duh. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t?” JJ asked, going inside and heading for John B.’s room to lay down, head spinning. 

“You wanna sleep it off? I’ll wake you up in like an hour?” John B. asked and JJ threw himself down face first on his bed after dropping his bag on the ground.

“Shit, yeah, that’s good. Sorry. Happy Birthday. Sorry for last night, I overreacted. I realized it’s all Teddy’s fault. Got you this.” JJ said, sitting back up for a second to pull the card from his backpack.

He threw it at John B. and John B. laughed at the stupid joke inside like a good friend before closing it. JJ was already close to sleep, face planted into the pillow.

“Teddy’s? You’re definitely wasted. I’ll be back in an hour to wake your ass up, JJ. Sweet dreams!” 

JJ didn’t have sweet dreams and he felt like he had barely closed his eyes when he heard John B.’s voice above him again.

“Rise and shine, JJ. We’ve got fifteen minutes until Kie and Pope are here.” John B. said, clapping his hands over JJ’s head. 

JJ jumped up from the noise, closing his eyes again at the sun streaming in from the windows before trying to get up and rush to the bathroom. He barely made it to the toilet, puking up everything from this morning and last night before sitting on the edge of the tub, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

“You good?” John B. asked him from the doorway. 

“Yeah, I’m great. Just needed the old purge of everything from this morning and now I feel good, bro.” He lied before dry heaving again.

John B. came in and sat on the toilet seat, trying to think of something to say. JJ didn’t give him the chance.

“It’s your birthday, let’s have some fucking fun. Gotta pass the torch to you. You’ll be puking in here tonight if things go well!” JJ said, walking past John B. to go wait outside.

He felt like he was right on the edge of a cliff, about to fall off and so he used all of his bad coping skills to push himself back until John B.’s birthday was over. And since he had already gotten drunk and stolen today, his next techniques involved hiding behind Pope and Kie so John B. couldn’t talk about _it_ with him and getting stoned. He smoked a blunt while waiting for Pope and Kie, ignoring John B. telling him to put it away in front of Teddy.

* * *

“Kie, put the pedal to the medal, baby! Let’s see what this shit can do!” JJ called, laughing from the backseat of her car thirty minutes later as she cruised at a comfortably annoying speed towards the bridge. The weed had helped a little with his nausea and his mood but he still felt anxious and was doing everything in his power to try to act normal for the rest of the day. 

“First of all, don’t call me baby, JJ. Second of all, no. I love you, but now’s not the time to see what my fucking piece of shit Nissan can do.” Kie said from the front seat and Pope laughed. 

“This is not a piece of shit, Kie. My mom would kill to drive this.” Pope said.

“Yeah, I second that. This shit is nice. I bet it’d drift like a dream.” John B. said from the front and JJ laughed. John B. smiled back at him and JJ could see some relief on his face and he felt guilty.

“Come on, Kie! Just pull off after the bridge to that empty lot and try drifting!” JJ called again from the backseat.

“I’ve got a better idea, JJ. Why don’t you and John B. take the van and your bike to the empty lot sometime and pop wheelies and drift and do all of that shit and right now, we focus on getting Jombay his driver’s license?” Kie said in a fake happy tone before flipping him off.

“Kie’s got the claws out!” JJ laughed from the backseat. “I guess you’re right though. Jombay and I can do that shit another time. We’ve got to get him legally certified!” 

“Call me Jombay again, guys. See what happens.” John B. said from the front seat and Pope and JJ smiled at each other. 

“Jombay.” They said together and Kie laughed. 

John B. took his seat belt off and threw Kie’s reusable water bottle at JJ before ripping his shoe off and throwing it at Pope. 

“Holy shit! Ouch! What the fuck, Jombay! That’s made of metal!” JJ cried out as it hit his arm. 

Pope made a puking noise as he removed John B.’s beat up shoe from his lap, throwing it back up front. 

“Shit, Pope! I’m trying to drive!” Kie said as the shoe hit her by accident before she tossed it onto John B.’s lap right as he threw his dirty sock back at JJ.

JJ laughed and ripped his own boot off, lobbing it at John B. He already felt better, just being around the three of them, fucking around.

“Ouch, JJ! Those things are heavy as shit!” John B. cried, arms up to shield his head.

“You just threw a thirty pound water bottle at my broken arm.” JJ said, catching his boot when John B. threw it at him.

“When do you get that off, by the way?” Pope asked him, grabbing his cast and turning it over to check for new art. They had all been drawing ridiculous shit on it for the past month.

“The day after New Year’s. I’ll be back in the surf game, baby!” He said, laughing when Pope pushed his arm back at him after seeing the immature drawing John B. had drawn on it on Christmas Eve.

“Didn’t realize you ever left it.” Kie said, putting her blinker on and heading towards the exit for the DMV.

“Aw, thanks Kie. I meant full force though. I mean there’s only so much shit you can do with one arm. The king is almost back!” He said.

“King is a little far. What time is your test again, John B? I want to make sure we’re on time.” Kie asked as she turned left.

“At three. We’re good.” John B. said to her. 

It turns out they were good, but John B. wasn't and an hour later, JJ and Pope clambered back into Kie’s backseat, looking at each other to try to figure out how to cheer John B. up.

“So, it’s not a big deal. We’ll just be here on the 26th next month at three o’clock. You drive without a license anyways so it doesn’t really matter.” Kie said to John B. as she pulled out of the parking lot. 

“That’s a school day, Kie.” Pope complained, but he shut up when she glared at him.

“We’ll just have to have a Pogue Skip Day that day, Pope. Works for me.” JJ added helpfully. “Don’t beat yourself up, John B. It was probably their stupid car. I heard they rig them to fail every tenth kid.” 

“It’s not that that’s bothering me. It’s just that my dad always said he was gonna take me to get my license and now it feels like I’m not supposed to get it.” John B. said, looking out the window. Kie looked back at JJ in the mirror.

“I think it’s a sign then. The reason why you failed it today is 'cause your dad’s gonna come back in time to take you.” JJ offered. 

Pope gestured at him but John B. turned around and looked at him. “Maybe you’re right, JJ. That’s actually a really good point! Yeah, I bet that’s it!” He smiled and faced the front again and JJ felt good about cheering him up.

His fake good mood could only last so long and it wasn’t even two minutes after they were laughing at some story Pope was telling that he unconsciously started to think about what he was avoiding, sinking down in the seat and staring out the window. His high had started to wear off and he already wanted to smoke again.

“Kie, I’m gonna smoke, okay? I’ll roll the window down.” He said, reaching into his backpack for his stash.

“Um, hell no, JJ. I’m not getting arrested for that shit. We’ll be back in twenty, you can wait.” She said to him and pushed the window lock button.

He didn’t answer and bounced his knee anxiously, trying to focus on their conversation to distract him. 

“You okay?” Pope asked him, keeping his voice down so Kie and John B. wouldn’t notice. 

“Yep. Just want to get high is all, Pope. You’ll understand once you have your first hit.” He said without turning to him. 

JJ was on edge but he pulled out his vape as a substitute for weed and tried to roll the window down. “Kie, what the fuck? Why can’t I open your window? I need to vape.” He asked, pushing the button over and over again.

“Maybe because I locked it to prevent a smoke sesh in my car? I just said that.” She said as she released the lock and his window rolled down. 

“There better be a smoke sesh when we get home, that’s for sure.” John B. chimed in. “Hey Pope, will you smoke 'cause it’s my birthday?” 

“Because it’s your birthday...I’ll decline so I can monitor you idiots.” Pope smiled back sarcastically. 

“Boring. You are not staying sober, Pope.” Kie said and JJ saw her rolling her eyes. 

“Boo!” JJ said, blowing a smoke ring into his face. “Loosen up!”

“Boo!” John B. joined in laughing. Kie added some boos too until Pope shoved JJ and kicked John B.’s seat. 

“Alright, alright! Shut up! I didn’t even finish. Sober by the time I have to drive home.” He said, laughing when JJ grabbed him and tried to smack a kiss on his cheek.

“That’s my boy!” He cheered.

“Kie, don’t forget to stop at my house. For the you-know-whats.” JJ said to her.

“What are the you-know-whats?” John B. asked, looking at them all. 

“Be patient, Jombay. You'll find out soon.” JJ said and he unbuckled and threw himself into the middle seat just in time when John B. threw Kie’s water bottle at him again. 

“That’s actually something I use, John B. Can you stop throwing it at JJ?” Kie said, reaching her arm back for it. 

“Yeah, stop throwing shit at me, Jombay.” JJ laughed again and practically sat on Pope’s lap to avoid John B.’s arm when he tried to grab him.

* * *

“You did _not._ ” 

“We did. We risked our fucking lives, too. Almost got gunned down by Uncle Larry but Kie peeled out just before he started shooting.” JJ said proudly, reenacting it with an unwilling Pope. He couldn’t help but smile- John B. had always wanted a rooster, so he knew this present was the shit.

“Who the hell is Uncle Larry? And what? You almost got shot? Are you guys okay?” John B. asked them. 

“No, unfortunately JJ got shot." Pope said to John B. like he was stupid.

"Shit, are you okay, JJ?"

"I'm kidding, dumbass. Thanks for checking though. After spending all day with us.” Pope answered.

“What’s wrong with them though?” John B. asked, picking up the rooster JJ thought was named after him and petting it. 

“They were being totally neglected and abused, bro. It was like one of those sad animal commercials. The ones that make you cry.” JJ said, picking up the Pope rooster and petting its head.

“They make you and Kie cry, JJ.” John B. said as they all walked towards the car with a rooster. 

“Sorry for not being a robot, dude.” JJ answered, sliding into the backseat. “Shit. Pope doesn’t look too good.” He said, bending over and looking into his almost closed eyes.

“I look fine. You look like you woke up after a three day bender at a truck stop.” Pope said as he climbed in. 

“I meant the rooster, dude. But thanks, totally appreciate it.” JJ replied.

“What’s wrong with him?” Pope said, leaning over to check. 

“I don’t know, I’m not a doctor. Kie, what’s wrong with him?” JJ asked, worried when the rooster closed his eyes. 

“Hang on. Let me see him.” She said, opening up JJ’s door and leaning in. “Since I read a chapter book series about an horse vet back in elementary school, I’m totally qualified.” 

“See? I knew you had the knowledge. I mean, we can’t ask Pope 'cause the rooster’s not dead yet.” JJ smiled at Kie. “What’s the diagnosis?”

“He’s breathing really hard. Let’s just get him to John B.’s and see. It might be stress from moving around so much.” She went and got in the driver’s seat and peeled out of the driveway, almost hitting his mailbox as she turned.

“His breathing slowed down. It’s not heavy anymore. Maybe he likes the car.” JJ said, petting his back. “Shit, actually I don’t think he’s breathing at all. Pull over, Kie!” 

Kie pulled over and she got out again. John B. turned around to check and they all agreed that Pope had gone to heaven.

“He’s gone.” Kie confirmed.

JJ felt like crying but pushed it down. There was something about today and knowing that this animal had an awful life and didn’t even make it to a happy place that hit him hard. He looked at John B. and saw him trying not to cry and saw that Kie was crying, and he felt tears come up. They had a moment of silence before Pope broke it.

“Seriously, guys? I mean it’s sad but you all eat chicken. Are you really crying over a rooster right now?” Pope asked. 

“Shut up, Pope. We feel for him.” JJ said, wiping his eyes. 

Kie took the rooster from JJ’s lap and got back into the front, keeping it with her instead. “We’ll bury him when we get to the Chateau.” 

“Rest in peace, Pope.” JJ said, shaking his head sadly.

“Seriously? We don’t know which one was which, JJ. It was probably the JJ rooster that died.” Pope argued.

“Actually, there are two John B.’s so it was probably one of them. Do the math, bro.” He responded, rubbing his eyes. “Rest in peace, John B.”

“Do I have to die on my birthday? That seems like bad luck.” John B. said.

“Alright, it was the John B. rooster that’s secretly Kie. Rest in peace, Kie.” JJ tried again. 

“I think it was the JJ rooster. Whichever one you picked up was you in rooster form.” Kie said. “Now can we stop fighting about it and let me focus on driving? I literally have a dead animal in my lap.”

“Alright, fine. But we’re having a funeral for him. It’s what he would have wanted.” JJ replied.

“Awesome. Great way to spend Jombay’s sixteenth birthday.” Pope said, before laughing. “You can’t throw shit at me, John B. because it will hurt the roosters!”

“You’re a savage, Pope.” JJ said, impressed.

“Protect my name, JJ. What the hell, bro.” John B. complained from the front.

“Nope, I’m good. I almost got shot getting you a fucking crew of roosters. Appreciate it, dude.” 

* * *

By one in the morning, Pope had sobered up enough to drive himself and Kie home and JJ had tried to join, drunk and high out of his mind. 

“JJ, get off the roof of the car. You can’t ride there. Put your seatbelt on if you’re coming with us.” Pope said tiredly, rubbing his eyes and resting his elbow on the edge of the hood of the car, looking up at him.

“Wait, you’re all leaving? We didn’t even do Poguemas yet.” John B. said, coming over from the trees where he had been peeing. “JJ, can’t you stay at least?”

JJ didn’t want to be with John B. alone again, knowing that when he was this fucked up he was likely to either fight him or admit things if John B. tried to talk again. 

“We can do Poguemas tomorrow. I can barely keep my eyes open, John B. Sorry.” Kie said, stretching and yawning before giving him a hug. “Happy Birthday.” 

“It’s cool. Thanks, Kie.” John B. said but he looked depressed and JJ slid down the front of Kie’s car to go over to him but almost kicked Pope on his way off and he grabbed him when he slipped on the hood of the car. 

“I’m trying to say bye to John B, Pope. Why are you grabbing me?” He asked.

“You’re too high up to go home, JJ. Sleep it off here.” Pope said to him.

“What’d you mean, I’m _too high_ to go home? The fuck? Why does it matter where I’m high?” JJ said, pushing off of Pope and going towards John B. Everything was spinning again and he put his arm around him but it took two tries since he missed the first time. 

No one answered him right away until Kie said, “I’m just gonna say it. You don’t need to be like that around your dad. You’re staying here.” 

“Shut up, Kie. I’m fine.” JJ said, but his knees gave out a little and John B. was holding him up. 

“I’ve got it, Kie. See you guys tomorrow. Bye, Crutches.” John B. said as he turned him and JJ towards the house. 

“Bye, Jombay. Happy Birthday.” Pope said as he and Kie got in the car, laughing when John B. flipped him off.

“Shit, JJ. When did you get so fucking heavy? Stop doing jelly legs and help me, bro.” JJ heard John B. say from next to him. They made it to the porch steps before John B. lowered JJ onto them and sat down. 

JJ’s stomach heaved from the movement and he leaned over into the bushes and dry heaved. “I feel like I’m dying.” He moaned, one hand on his stomach. 

“That's because you’ve been drunk or high basically all day. I don’t even know how you did it again after this morning.” John B. answered. “I wonder where Uncle T went. He didn’t leave a note.” 

“I’m sure he’s out trying to seduce someone’s mom or some shit like that. Breaking up someone’s family. Enjoying himself.” JJ said, eyes closed and leaning his head back against the top step.

“I don’t think that’s a regular occurrence for him, JJ. He’s a good guy.” John B. laughed.

“Yeah, I guess he just broke up my family and that was enough for him.” JJ answered. 

“What? I mean your parents weren’t exactly happy together, were they? Your mom clearly wanted something else too.” John B. said. 

“Don’t talk about my mom.” JJ said, getting angry. 

“I’m sorry, okay? I won’t.” John B. answered.

“I’m going home.” JJ decided, standing up too fast and swaying unsteadily. It made him nauseous and he bent over, one hand on his stomach, waiting to see if he needed to throw up.

“You can’t even stand up. Here, you can take my room, I’ll sleep out on the pullout.” John B. said, rolling his eyes when JJ tried to take a step down the steps towards the driveway anyways and slipped. 

“No, you don’t get to tell me what to do.” He said stubbornly, yanking his arm out of John B.’s grasp. 

“I’m not telling you what to do, I’m just saying you can’t walk home like this. You’ll get hit by a car or something. Just sleep here.” John B. said, eyebrows raised. 

“I can do whatever I want when I want.” JJ said back, but he sat back down on the steps and crawled up them anyways. 

“Obviously. Rules don’t hold us back.” John B. agreed, recognizing his need for control. 

JJ got to the top of the steps and pulled himself up, making his way unsteadily to John B.’s room. 

“You gonna be there in the morning? We’ve got work at two tomorrow, by the way.” John B. asked him and he didn’t answer just to be annoying.

* * *

He was there in the morning, but it was much less because he wanted to be and much more because he felt so utterly horrible in every way that he couldn’t move without feeling sick. He pulled his hood over his head and pulled John B.’s blanket over him to shield the light from the windows. Even hearing the roosters was making his head pound. 

John B. walked in around noon and put a water cup next to the bed. “Not to ruin your day, but we’ve got a shift in like two hours so you might want to start trying to come alive again.”

“I can’t. I’ll literally pass away on the spot and then Heyward will have a child labor lawsuit on his hands.” JJ said back, not moving. 

“Okay...I hate to break it to you, but you can’t just miss a shift. I’m pretty sure Heyward would make you work all next weekend just to make up for that. Or dock your pay. And you need money.” John B. said. 

“I don’t need money. I’ll call him and explain that I’m sick and will die if I have to work. He’ll understand.” JJ said, reaching around for his phone and coming up empty.

“Very funny. You’ve got two hours, just sit up and take Advil.” 

“No, I’m not going. I don’t need money right now. He’ll understand. I’m taking the day off,” JJ said, giving up and putting his arm over his eyes.

“Okay, first of all, what do you mean you don’t need money? You were flat out broke two days ago. And second of all, I dare you to call him and try that and see what he says.” John B. said, throwing his phone onto JJ’s chest.

“It’s break, bro. We aren’t supposed to do anything but get wasted, surf and sleep.” He said, but he didn’t touch the phone.

“Why the hell do you have money?” John B. asked him again.

“Nonya.” He said to him, smirking behind his arm because he knew it pissed John B. off.

“JJ. What did you do?” John B. tried to move his arm off his face but he kept it locked.

“My grandma gave me some money.” He said, figuring it wasn’t a lie. Even though that’s not the money he had now.

“Oh. Well I dare you to call Heyward and try to take the day off. Because I’m not covering for you.” John B. said, shoving the phone at him again.

“You don’t need to dare me, dude. It’s not a big deal. Here, unlock it for me.” He said as John B. dialed it for him and put it on speaker.

“John B? You better not be trying to call out. I’m not hearing any bullshit today.” Heyward’s voice answered after five rings and John B. covered his laugh with his hands as he held it up for JJ.

“It’s actually not John B, Heyward. It’s JJ. Sorry to disappoint.” JJ said, ignoring John B. and keeping his eyes shut.

“You’re calling to try to pretend John B. is sick and can’t come? And let me guess, you need to stay and take care of him? Even though we all know y’all are just hungover. I saw Pope.” Heyward said back.

“Ok, woah, calm down Heyward. John B. is good and ready to go. No one’s hungover. I just need some ‘me’ time. I’ll be back on Tuesday if that’s cool. Just wanted to give you a head’s up.” JJ said, getting ready to hang up. 

“Me time? If you don’t get your ass down here by two o’clock _on the dot_ , I’m going to have you working everyday next week.” Heyward said back and JJ didn’t need to open his eyes to know John B. had his “I told you so” face on. 

“Come on, Heyward! You didn’t even have me last week! I’m new! Pretend you don’t have me as an employee, just for today!” JJ begged, head pounding. 

“Oh I wish I could pretend. But that wouldn’t teach you shit. Two o’clock.” Heyward said before JJ heard the dial tone. He threw the phone towards John B. without looking.

“I told you so, dumbass. Can’t believe you thought that would work.” John B. laughed.

“I don’t care, I’m not going. He’s all bark and no bite.” JJ said, getting ready to go back to sleep.

“ _What!_ Yes, you are going! Peterkin is gonna check in with him, remember?”

“Heyward’s no snitch.” JJ answered.

“If he thinks it teaches you a lesson, he is. The biggest snitch. He’s gonna tell her when she asks. Get up.” 

JJ got up, but not for the reason John B. wanted him to. He got up and stumbled to the bathroom but didn’t make it before he threw up on the floor. 

“Shit.” He said, leaning over and dry heaving again. “It’s so fucking bright.” 

“It’s not bright. It’s literally cloudy out.” John B. said as he went to get paper towels.

JJ got his backpack from the pullout and started to shove his stuff in it slowly. 

“We don’t have to go yet. Now you’re rearing to go?” 

“I’m gonna go home and sleep. I’ll text you later, my phone’s missing.” JJ said, pulling it onto his shoulder. “Do you have any sunglasses?”

“No, I don’t have any sunglasses. You can’t just do this, JJ. This isn’t just any job, this is important so you don’t fucking fail Peterkin’s little “Are you a juvenile delinquent?” test!” John B. said, getting worked up.

“Newsflash, John B- I am one! Worry about yourself for once!” He said back, not able to yell because of his headache.

“No you’re not! Stop trying to fuck up!” John B. yelled. “You think you deserve to go to juvie? Is that it? That you deserve everything that happens to you?”

“Shut up, John B. You don’t know shit about shit.” JJ said, walking towards the door. 

“I’m sorry, okay? I’m just worried about you. Like, obviously the shit that happened to you is still affecting you and you don’t think you deserve good stuff. I just want to help.” He said, but he looked unsure. 

“Nothings affecting me, bro. Except this hangover.”

“How can you say nothing is affecting you? You’ve been drunk or high since yesterday morning, throwing up! Clearly me bringing it up is affecting you and that’s because it’s something you need help with!”

“I told you. What you’re talking about was a _story._ That’s it. It was me lying, making up shit to make you think I was tough when we were kids. Nothing happened.” JJ insisted, eyes desperate as he tried to get his point across to John B. so he would never bring it up again. 

“JJ, you didn’t sleep over for months. You couldn’t even be in the same room with _my_ dad. You had a huge scratch on your face for a month. You didn’t make up anything.” John B. said back, arms crossed. 

“You wanna know what happened when I was there?” He asked John B. JJ knew John B. was out of his depth and decided to talk about it just enough to get him to think it was a lie.

“I want to help you!” John B. answered back, gesturing with his hands.

“My mom was fucked up a lot, okay? It scared me. I kept thinking she was gonna die. I wanted to come home all the time. I remember trying to call you whenever I could but I was too fucking stupid to get your number right so I’d just cry like a baby standing over the phone before giving up. And then I got to go home one day. That’s it. That’s all that happened. It was so long ago, I don’t even remember. So leave it alone, okay? Now you know everything.” JJ said, almost believing his own lies. 

“That’s not what you said when we were kids.” John B. pushed and JJ got up to leave again.

“Wake up, John B! I lie. A lot. And I steal. And I make up stories. Do you know how many stories I’ve told you over the years? You don’t want to know the truth all the damn time, trust me. Now leave me alone. I’m literally begging you.” He said as he walked towards the door. 

“So that was a story to cover up the truth? Or that was the truth? Because either way that’s fucked up, but it’s not okay to me if some fucking monster was hurting my best friend in the most fucked up ways for five weeks. It’s not okay. And it shouldn’t be okay to you.” John B. said, getting up to follow him. 

“There was no monster, John B. It was me and it was my mom, who basically had a fucking needle in her arm all day and night and barely looked twice at me! That’s it. Stop talking about it!” JJ yelled, finally exploding at the mention of the man.

“I just want to help! If I had known this, I wouldn’t have pushed you to call your mom last month.” John B. said sadly and JJ blinked back tears, glad his back was to him. 

“I’m going home. Please, drop it. Tell Heyward I’m actually sick or some shit.” JJ said, walking out and onto the porch.

“You can sleep here, JJ! I’ll cover for you!” John B. called after him but JJ kept walking. He didn’t want to stay near John B. or any of his questions or Uncle T when he came home.

“I just want some space, okay? I’ll text you when I find my phone.” He called back, already feeling nauseous from walking too fast.

“Can I at least give you a ride?” John B. yelled back.

JJ didn’t answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that was very long! The next chapter there will be some progress. They will go back to school and we will check in with Kie's situation. We will find out a little more about what happened to JJ, but not too many details. And for any confusion about what exactly happened to him, it's in chapter 5 of my other story, "My Best Friend Since the Third Grade". 
> 
> I'm feeling really badly for John B. right now because he has no one he can go to with this awful situation! And JJ. And I know, he stole from Mr. C! Backwards steps! We will have to see if anyone finds out 😦
> 
> The next chapter probably won't be for two weeks, but maybe sooner, so just a head's up. Thanks for reading!


	16. Six Days Later

“Got my cast off! I’m back, baby!” JJ yelled as he jogged up the steps to the Chateau.

He was greeted by all three of his friends staring at him silently on the porch.

“What the hell, JJ.” Kie said first, breaking the silence.

“Where have you been? It’s been almost a  _ week _ . Six days! You missed New Year’s Eve! You missed The Boneyard! Where were you!?” Pope added.

JJ shrugged, sitting in the chair farthest from them on the porch. “Aw, I missed you guys, too. I lost my phone.” 

“Since when do you need a phone to come here? We literally thought something happened to you until Jaden said you had hung out with him. Where have you been?” Kie said.

“Getting my cast off. Does nobody care about that?” JJ answered, holding up his fresh, cast-free arm to show them. “Scared now, John B? Try outsurfing me now that I have both arms again!” 

John B. looked at him and JJ thought for a second that he was going to say something about their last conversation before he just smiled at him. JJ could tell it was slightly forced but he was happy to pretend everything was cool too and smiled back.

“That’s sick, dude- I’m happy for you. You can’t outsurf me though. We all know that would take you having more talent than me.” He said to JJ.

“Please. I have more talent in one of my fingers than you do in your whole body, bro.” JJ teased back, glad John B. was going along with it.

“Okay, that’s great, but JJ, my dad’s pissed. You missed like four shifts with him and he almost called Peterkin. This isn't a joke.” Pope said. “What’s going on?”

“I had to help my dad at the salvage yard and stuff and we were with my family for New Year’s. I was busy. Sorry I wasn’t over here everyday for once in my life. I’m here now! Why do you care so much?” JJ said, glaring at him. 

All of that was a lie. He hadn’t done anything with his dad and had spent the past six days floating around the island on his own, spending time with his cousin or on a part of the island he knew his friends wouldn’t look. Especially after his dad had beaten the shit out of him the first night.

“You’ve never missed New Year’s with us.” Kie said, crossing her arms. “Spill. What’s wrong?”

JJ was definitely not going to “spill” anything and had spent the past week talking himself down on his own and deluding himself into thinking everything was okay before he could fake his normal personality enough to even be with his friends again without them suspecting anything. Clearly that wasn’t working and he already regretted coming but had been so happy after getting his cast off that he had wanted to show them. 

“Nothing! I’m sorry my dad wanted me around for once. It’s okay when you and Pope disappear for the same reason!” He said angrily, standing up to leave, good mood ruined.

“Hey, JJ, it’s fine. We’re just glad you’re here now.” John B. cut in, surprising JJ. He looked at him and saw how guilty he looked. “Heyward’s gonna make you pay though.”

“I think I’m gonna quit and work with my dad instead.” JJ said, sitting back down and kicking the toes of his boots against the table legs.

He saw Pope open his mouth to start to argue with him before John B. gestured at him and cut him off.

“Really? I mean it’s your choice but we would miss working with you. Who would help me annoy Pope?” He asked him, smiling his mostly forced smile at him again.

JJ shrugged and avoided looking at them all. “I’m sure we can annoy Pope enough normally, dude. You got any food? I’m fucking starving.” He said, getting up and going inside. He immediately heard Kie and Pope start to whisper to John B, but he told himself to ignore it.

“You missed Poguemas so we didn’t do it yet.” Pope said when he came back outside with a bag of chips.

“I got Kie a present, we can do it now.” JJ said. They had the tradition of getting a present just for one person and this year JJ had gotten Kie’s name. He had stolen a necklace for her from outside one of the Kook boutiques on Figure Eight when the lady had dropped a necklace stand when carrying it outside to set up early one morning. He had helped pick it up, shoving one in his pocket without her noticing.

“Kie, you’re gonna love this shit!” He said, rooting through the bag for it and hiding it in his hand. 

“Wait, let me go get my thing for John B! Hang on!” Kie said, hopping up and running inside. John B. followed her in to get his present for Pope.

“I left my present for you at home, JJ. I didn’t think you were actually gonna show.” Pope said to him, crossing his arms.

“That’s cool. Giving is better anyways.” JJ shrugged, pretending Pope’s mood wasn’t affecting him.

“I got it! You guys ready?” Kie said as she came back out with a big bag with tissue paper.

“No, I’m not ready. I left mine at home ‘cause I didn’t think JJ was going to pop back up and demand Poguemas at a random time.” Pope said again.

“I told you, I don’t need a present. Let’s just do what we have now.” JJ answered, holding his hand out to Kie.

“What is it?” She asked, laughing when he opened his hand a little bit before closing it before she could see. “If it’s a blunt, I swear, JJ-”

He opened his hand and showed her the necklace, letting it dangle down from his fingers. “It’s good for the environment. At least, I think the tag said that but I don’t know why.” 

Kie took it from his hands and looked at it. “Did you get this from Susanna’s?” She asked him and he shrugged. 

“I don’t know. It was some Kook boutique. You don’t like it?” He said when she just stared at it.

“No, I do, thanks, JJ. It’s just that Sarah and I had these same necklaces from there so it reminds me of that. Sorry. It’s pretty.” She said to him before looking guilty. “Would you kill me if I exchanged it for a different kind?”

Of course with his luck it was some kind of fancy Sarah Cameron Kook friendship necklace that Kie had a past with. Of all the things for him to pick, it had to be that. 

“Oh really? Shit, sorry. I don’t have the receipt anymore, Kie.” He lied, trying to act casual.

“Don’t be sorry! Susanna remembers everyone who shops there. If you come with me sometime, we can exchange it. Not to be ungrateful. I just don’t want to think about her right now. You understand, right?” She asked him, putting it in her bag.

JJ's stomach twisted anxiously since he wouldn’t be able to go with Kie without being caught. He pushed it down and decided that was a problem for another day. “Yeah, of course. Knew I should have just stuck with my usual bag of weed. What’d you get John B?”

“I had to get you this, John B. Do you love it or do you love it,  _ bro _ ?” Kie smiled, holding out the bag to him.

John B. smiled and pulled the tissue paper out, pulling out a crazy patterned Hawaiian shirt with Mrs. Claus in bikinis all over it. 

“Oh my god, Kie. Why would you encourage him?” Pope said and JJ laughed. 

“Sorry, you can’t really wear it until next year since we did this so late this year, but still. It was made for you.” Kie laughed when he tried it on anyway. 

“It’s amazing, Kie! Thanks for actually respecting my culture, unlike these two.” He said, hugging her.

“Your culture? You’re literally a white boy from The Cut.” Pope laughed.

“What’d you get Pope, JB? A dead body? A calculator? His first bong?” JJ asked, putting his feet up on the table and pulling out his rolling papers.

“Nope. Good ideas though. Here, Pope.” John B. said, throwing a badly wrapped present at him.

Pope unwrapped it and smiled. “That’s actually really thoughtful, John B.” He said as he looked at the book.

“A book? Damn, I can’t relate to any excitement there, bro.” JJ shook his head in concern.

“It’s about the best programs around the country for becoming a forensic pathologist, JJ.” Pope corrected. 

“Can’t you just google that?” JJ asked, confused by why a book would be exciting.

“Shut up, JJ. Thanks, John B.” Pope said.

“No problem. See? Sometimes I can be thoughtful.” John B. beamed before sitting on the arm of JJ’s chair, waiting for him to roll the blunt. 

“JJ, I’ll give you your present when you come to the store for your shift tomorrow, okay?” Pope said.

JJ didn’t answer and lit the blunt, taking a hit before passing it to John B.

“Ok, Pope. I’ll be there at four o’clock on the dot tomorrow after school! I can’t wait!” Pope said for JJ, doing a high pitched impersonation. “The only thing I love more than school is working! I swear, if I don’t get to work at least three shifts a week, I get so sad. I cry and I cry-”

Pope was cut off by Kie shoving him onto the sofa. “Shut up, Pope.”

“Thanks, Kie.” JJ laughed. "I missed you guys."

* * *

JJ went to school the next day only because John B. showed up at his house and physically dragged him into the car. He stayed the whole day only because Mrs. Cooper took him into her office and said she got the plan from Peterkin for the new year and would be there to help him stay in school. 

And he only went to face the music with Heyward because Pope and John B. both dragged him back into the van and John B. helped wrestle him inside before leaving. Heyward had finally realized not to schedule John B. and JJ together and to never make the mistake of scheduling them both with Pope.

“Get over here, you little punk. You come moseying in here, thinking you still have a job after last week?” Heyward said to him when he walked in behind Pope. He gestured for him to come into the back room with him and JJ almost thought about turning around but decided that he didn’t have a death wish.

“Look, I’m sorry, Heyward. I was sick and then my dad got sick and I had to help him with his shifts at the salvage yard.” JJ lied through his teeth. 

“And you had no way to call me or Pope and tell us what was going on?” Heyward asked, eyebrows raised.

“I lost my phone and I was so busy I couldn’t walk all the way over here. I’m sorry.” JJ said, looking down at his feet. He knew Heyward would be caught off guard if he actually acted sorry.

“So if I call your dad, he’ll say the same?” Heyward asked him and JJ looked up, blinking fast to try to force some tears if he needed to. He didn’t think Heyward would do that but he never knew.

“Yeah, for sure. It was a rough week. I’m sorry. I’m glad I’m back here now, though.” 

“I’m sure. You know Sheriff Peterkin has asked me to report to her every two weeks about how you’re doing. I’m gonna give you the benefit of the doubt this time, but if this ever happens again, she’ll be hearing about it first thing. There won’t be any third chances. Do you understand?” Heyward said to him and JJ nodded, already planning how to switch jobs. 

“Yes, sir.”

Heyward put him to work and he went out to find Pope on the register. 

“How come you get the cushy job?” JJ complained as he headed outside to help sort through a new delivery. 

“Cushy? You do know John B. and I had to do your shit and my shit last week when you went on your little adventure, right? We were already short staffed.” Pope said back. JJ almost rolled his eyes when he heard his tone.

“It wasn’t an adventure, Pope. I was literally working at another job. Damn, why’re you so pissy?”

“Because I know you weren’t at another job. I can tell when you’re lying, JJ.” Pope answered.

“Apparently you can’t because I’m not lying, bro. If I could go one day without being accused of lying or some other shit I didn’t do, that would be great.” JJ said.

“You know, John B. won’t tell me what’s up with you, but I had hoped you would. I thought we were best friends.” Pope said to him as he walked away. He stopped and turned, realizing why Pope was so upset.

“We are best friends, Pope. There’s nothing going on, that’s why John B. isn’t saying shit to you. Nothing’s up with me.” He lied, but he was nervous that Pope had been grilling John B. He didn’t know if John B. would last long under the pressure.

“No, you and John B. are best friends. Kie and I are apparently still just second rate friends. After six years. Because it’s always you and John B. knowing exactly what’s up and we always find out later or not at all. It’s always the same.”

“What? That’s not true, Pope. Is that what you think? Because I thought we were all best friends. Pogues for life.” JJ said, confused about where this was coming from.

“Whatever, JJ. Don’t worry about it.” Pope said, turning to greet a customer when they walked in.

“You are my best friend, Pope.” JJ said helplessly before he went outside. He had enough stuff to worry about without Pope feeling like a second rate friend and he didn't know how to fix it.

* * *

“You do know that you’re supposed to recycle plastic, dumbass?” Kie’s voice said as she came into the kitchen right when JJ was throwing the plastic wrapper from a frozen pizza into the trash the following weekend.

“Come on, Kie. Recycling doesn’t come to the Cut, you know that.” He complained, shoving the pizza onto the pan and putting it in John B.’s shitty oven.

“No excuse. We only have one planet, JJ. Drive the recycling to The Wreck or my house or literally any dumpster.” She said to him before turning and going to sit down next to John B. on the pullout.

“I don’t have a car and this isn’t my house.” JJ shrugged, hopping up onto the counter and kicking his heels against it. He pulled out his vape and shoved John B.’s kitchen window open with his other hand.

“How was going back to school this week, Kie?” John B. asked from where he was laying, one arm under his head, watching some shitty movie on tv.

“If you’re asking, did anybody whisper behind my back or make me feel like a piece of shit, then yes. If you’re asking did I see any shit online or get any new and special bad vibes, then no. It was mostly back to normal.” Kie said, kicking her shoes off.

“What the fuck do they have to whisper about? They’re just jealous, Kie. Want us to come there and fuck them up? The offer still stands. Say the word.” JJ called from the kitchen.

“I just want to come back to school with you guys. Like, my parents are so obsessed with their Kook image that they say it’ll look weird if I transfer. They don’t even care that I have no friends there. Or how hard it is being the only half-black girl in the whole school. And that Sarah Cameron’s whole girl squad hates me and talks shit about me. They just tell me to make up with her and stop hanging out with you guys.” Kie said and JJ could tell she was more upset than she was letting on.

He heard John B. start to reassure her and he turned fully towards the window, blowing a smoke ring out of it, zoning out. He could barely get himself through the day, let alone help Kie with problems he couldn’t relate to in any way.

“Was it a lot of money, though?” John B. was asking Kie when he tuned back in and JJ tensed up slightly before forcing himself to relax when he realized what they were talking about.

“No, I think it was like seventy bucks or something like that. But my dad’s all suspicious because it wasn’t a random break in. He got a security system and it’s been two weeks with no problems.” She said. “But yeah, he’s not in a great mood so it sucks being home.”

“Wait, what happened?” JJ asked, avoiding eye contact and leaning back against the cabinet as he vaped. He tried to push down the guilt at the thought of making it worse for Kie at home with her parents because of what he had done. 

“Someone stole some money from The Wreck two weeks ago. But you know the secret key? The one behind the dumpster? My dad thinks they used that so he’s pissed that it was someone who works for him again.” Kie told him.

JJ pretended to look confused. “What secret Kie?”

“The one we showed you on your first day? You know what I’m talking about. The key.” Kie said to him. "Omg. K-e-y. A key you use to open stuff, not me, dumbass."

“Tried to block out my memories of that time, Kie. No offense.” JJ joked, but it fell flat and he felt John B. looking at him.

“None taken.” She said. “I know it was a dark time.” 

“Help!” They heard Pope call from the yard. JJ looked out the window and saw him struggling with one of the roosters, having ridden up on his bike. The Pope rooster hated bikes and would attack them if they rode one in the vicinity every time. He had no idea why Pope kept forgetting that. 

“That’s all you, Kie. You’re the one the rooster likes the most.” JJ said and she rolled her eyes. 

“He’s a dumbass.” She said as she walked out to save him.

“JJ.” John B. said to him urgently as soon as Kie was outside.

JJ ignored him, knowing what he was going to say. 

“JJ, did you steal from Kie’s dad? Tell me that wasn’t you.” 

“It wasn’t me.” JJ said to John B, blowing out the window instead of looking at him. “Are we really going down this path again? How many times can one person be accused of stealing from the same fucking place? Why would I steal from that asshole?” 

“I’m sorry but you literally said you had money and you know where the key was and you’re pissed at him. It’s not that crazy.” 

“Screw you, John B. I didn’t steal from him. Stop talking about it.” JJ lied, angry for no reason since that’s exactly what he did.

“Ok, fine. I won’t mention it again. I’ll add it to the list of things I can’t talk about with my own best friend since he has too many secrets and forbidden topics to keep track of.” John B. said and JJ could tell he was angry too.

JJ got up immediately and walked towards the outside without saying anything, ready to use his only defense mechanism he had against John B. which was hiding behind Kie and Pope.

“And now you gonna avoid me by hiding behind Kie and Pope. I’m not bringing any shit up again, JJ. I was just asking ‘cause I’m on your side and want to help. You can’t just disappear when you get mad.” John B. said from behind him as he followed him out. 

JJ didn’t answer.

“You know, I don’t walk away from you when you talk to me about shit I don’t want to talk about. When you guys talk to me about my dad or other stuff. I don’t do that.” John B. said. 

“Good for you. If only we could all be as perfect as you are, John B.” JJ said and he knew he was being a dick but couldn’t stop himself.

“Yeah, if only. Everything would be so much easier.” John B. agreed, but he tried to make it into a joke and JJ felt even more guilty.

“Shit. Pope, why do you keep messing with him? You know you have to get off your bike at the end of the driveway!” John B. yelled as they saw Kie still struggling to stop the rooster from pecking Pope. 

“I’m sorry Uncle Larry’s demented rooster is pecking me for just riding down the driveway! I’m sorry I can’t remember all of his little nuances everyday! And the other rooster! The one you can’t wear yellow around? He’s no angel either! This is a warzone!” Pope yelled back, trying to run inside when Kie finally picked up the rooster and started to pet it to calm it down.

“Are you sure you aren’t demented, Pope? ‘Cause you’re the one who keeps forgetting what to do to avoid this.” JJ laughed at him. 

“Shut up, JJ. I’m sorry I don’t speak rooster.” Pope said, going inside. Kie, JJ and John B. all looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

* * *

JJ was out in John B.’s hammock the next day, smoking a joint and relaxing when he heard a car pull up. He didn’t lift his head at first, too high to put in the effort to see if it was Kie or Pope.

The car door slammed and he finally forced himself to turn his head to the side, eyes widening when he recognized the shiny black SUV.

“Fuck. Fucking shit.” He said to himself, trying to sink lower in the hammock, hoping that he would be hidden enough. 

“JJ, I need to talk to you. Now.” 

He didn’t move, closing his eyes and hoping that Mr. C would disappear if he just didn’t answer. It seemed like a logical plan to him, but it didn’t seem to be working as he heard footsteps approach the hammock. 

“I know you’re awake. That joint in your hand is still lit.” Mr. C said to him. He cracked open one eye and came to terms with the fact that he wasn’t going to be able to magically disappear before opening the other eye too.

“You know, this is exactly why I don’t want Kiara over here. Who knows what other drugs are on this property.” Mr. C continued, looking around as if a brick of cocaine was going to be sitting out near the rooster coop.

“Maybe you could...I don’t know...leave? No one invited you here.” JJ said, not trying to sound as rude as it came out. He honestly didn’t understand why he was there until his memory caught up with his brain and he froze, remembering the money he had stolen.

“I think you know exactly why I’m here.” Mr. C replied and JJ wished he wasn’t laying down in such a vulnerable position on the hammock while Mr. C towered over him. 

“Mr. Carrera? What’s up? Kie’s not here, by the way.” They both turned their heads when they heard John B’s voice from the steps. JJ looked over and didn’t know whether to be nervous or relieved when he saw him walking over. 

“I’m here to talk to JJ. It’s none of your concern.” Mr. C answered and JJ was reminded of how much he loved John B. when he came closer at his words instead of backing up.

“With all due respect, it’s my house, sir. And that’s my best friend you’re talking to. So it’s kind of my concern.” John B. said, crossing his arms.

“Well, your best friend owes me sixty dollars and an apology.” 

John B. gave him a look before turning to Mr. C.

“For what?” John B. asked, playing dumb.

“I’ll cut to the chase. I know it was JJ who broke into The Wreck two weeks ago and stole sixty bucks. We finally got the security footage from the store next door. Hand it over and apologize before I go to the cops with this.” Mr. C said.

“I literally have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re accusing me of stealing from you again? Did you check with Sam?” JJ said, trying to ignore John B.

“Sam moved off the island last month. She lives in Virginia now- it wasn’t her. We got you, it was your sweatshirt and your backpack on tape.” 

“I didn’t do anything.” JJ said back, taking a hit from the joint just to be a dick.

“If you won’t give it back and apologize, I’m handing it over to the cops within the hour.” Mr. C threatened and JJ opened his mouth to reply when he was cut off by John B.

“He can’t give it back and apologize because it wasn’t him. I took his sweatshirt and his backpack and I stole the money. I promise I’ll pay you back. I just needed the money, okay? It’s been hard without my dad. And JJ had mentioned where the key was awhile back and I’m sorry. I’m so embarrassed. Just please don’t blame JJ.” John B. said and JJ immediately sat up.

“That’s not true. Shut up, John B!” He said, not wanting John B. to cover for him and take the wrath.

“JJ, stop. You don’t have to pretend and cover for me. I’ll go get the money now, sir. I’m really sorry. I was desperate and had no choice.” John B. said, turning back to the house and jogging back inside to get some money.

“I’m going to look back at the footage to see if it was you or him, JJ.” Mr. C said as they waited. JJ didn’t answer before John B. came out,  trying to decide if he should deny that it was either of them or let John B. take the fall. He knew Kie’s dad wouldn’t drop it if he denied it and they couldn’t risk Peterkin finding out about another theft, but he didn’t want John B. to take the blame or give up his money for something he didn’t do.

“I’ve got it! Here you go!” John B. yelled as he came back out with it, clearly rushing to get back to them before shit went down.

“Why didn’t you go to an adult if you needed help? I could have helped you with that or had you work a few shifts for it.” Mr. C said, taking the money and shoving it in his pocket.

“I’m sorry, sir.” John B. said and JJ’s mind told him to do two things: to demand an apology from Mr. C for accusing him again and to stay quiet. The weed decided he couldn’t stay quiet.

“So, are you gonna apologize to me? How many times are you gonna accuse me of stealing from you? Is this gonna be a weekly occurrence? Should I get a restraining order?” JJ said, unable to let John B. handle it. John B. shot him a death glare but he didn’t care.

“Ignore him, Mr. Carrera. I promise, I’ll never do it again. I’m so sorry. I’ll make up for it somehow, I swear.” John B. said, still looking at JJ.

“You know what you can do to make up for it? You can help Kiara out by not inviting her over here, not getting her into trouble and letting her get space from all of you and make friends at her own school.” Mr. C said, turning towards his car.

JJ opened his mouth to fight back, but John B. took advantage of Mr. C having his back to them and shoved him, giving him a look.

“Sorry about the money, but no can do. We’re not gonna stop being friends with Kie. And maybe if you listened to her, you’d realize why she hates school there so much and let her come back to our school.” John B. said to him.

“Her mother and I worked way too hard to be able to give her the best education. We’re not sending her to Kildare High so she can get high and skip school with you boys. I went there, I know how it is. I’m not having my baby girl go there. If you care about her, you’ll stay away from her.” He said, opening his door and getting in, cutting John B.’s words off with a slam of his door. 

He pulled up to turn around, and JJ held up his middle finger at his car before John B. shoved his arm down as the car stopped and the window was rolled down.

“JJ, I’m this close to going to talk to your father. You better hope that footage doesn’t show you on it when we look closer because I’m not going to tolerate disrespect and lying on top of theft.” Mr. C called through his window before he drove away.

“What the actual fuck, JJ! If you had just shut up and let me cover for you, you’d be good! Now he’s gonna go back and check! And it’s you on that footage. Why would you piss him off, you dumbass!” John B. yelled at him when the car disappeared.

“I didn’t steal from him, John B! Why would you confess to something like that and give him all your fucking money?” JJ said back angrily, taking the last hit and throwing the blunt into the grass.

“Don’t you get tired of lying all the time? To everyone? Did you even buy that necklace for Kie or did you steal that, too?” John B. said before turning to go back inside. “You’re welcome, by the way.” 

“I’m not lying. Of course I bought it for her, what are you talking about? I didn’t ask you to do anything! I was handling that!” JJ called after him.

“You need help, JJ. Just admit it and let us in for once.” John B. called back, slamming the porch door after himself.

JJ forced himself to ignore what John B.’s words did to him and closed his eyes again, trying to let the weed take over and calm down.

* * *

“Okay, so my dad won’t say why, but he and my mom were talking about this random girl, Melody, who is like a year younger than us. Saying I should hang out with her and make friends with her. And then when I said I was tired and had to go to bed so I could get up early and surf with you guys, they just stared at me like I was an alien. And then my dad said I should give up surfing and see if Melody was free! I’m dying, I swear to god guys.” Kie said as they hurled towards the beach Sunday morning in the van.

“Your dad is a dick. Give up surfing? He needs to relax.” JJ said.

“Thank you! I know he does! He just randomly got fired up last night! It’s so annoying. He’s been even crazier lately.” Kie said.

“In his defense, JJ and John B. did both say they were dating you or trying to date you. No wonder he hates us. Not that that explains his hatred for me. I’m innocent.” Pope offered from where he was looking out the window.

“That was weeks ago, Pope! It’s a whole new year!” Kie said and John B. finally cut in.

“Kie, that sucks, I totally agree. Let’s just surf and try to relax, okay?” He said as he pulled into the parking lot by the beach.

“I agree. Do what I do, Kie. Surf and then get high as fuck. It usually helps me forget about my problems.” JJ offered, hopping out and grabbing his wetsuit. John B. mumbled something under his breath but he ignored him.

“Really mature, JJ.” Pope said, starting to pull his on too. “Why is this so tight?” He tugged on it again, trying to hop into it.

“Maybe because it’s Kie’s? And you’re supposed to be the smart one.” JJ laughed as he zipped his up and reached up to unstrap his board.

Three hours later, they were driving back when JJ’s week took another turn for the worse.

“Oh, wait, pull over here, John B! Finally, we can exchange the necklace, JJ. We’ll be right back, guys.” Kie said as John B. pulled over into a parking spot on the Kook side of Figure Eight outside of the boutique JJ had stolen from. 

They were on their way to drop Kie and Pope off at their houses and JJ was on the floor in the backseat, getting ready to roll a blunt. He looked up before refocusing on his work, pretending he didn’t hear her.

“JJ? Come on! It will just take me like two minutes.” Kie said, halfway out the door.

He didn’t look at her, knowing she would be able to tell he was lying if he looked over. “Let’s do it another day, Kie. I’m high and she’ll notice.” He lied.

“High? You haven’t even rolled it yet.” Pope said, looking at him weirdly. “Hurry up, dude. I have to be home by two.” 

He didn’t move and tried to use another excuse. “I’m tired, Kie. Come on, we can go next weekend. I don’t want to deal with a Kook right now.”

He briefly looked up and caught John B’s eyes in the rearview mirror and knew he knew why he wouldn’t go inside, but he stayed silent, probably knowing if he said something JJ would explode and disappear again.

“Come on, JJ. She let Sarah return stuff like this all the time. Please?” Kie tried again.

“I just can’t right now, Kie.” JJ said, foot tapping nervously against the seat across from him. Pope looked at it right away and so did Kie. He tried to stop doing it, knowing it was a dead give away to them that he was lying.

“You stole it.” Pope said, fed up.

JJ didn’t answer right away and Kie threw her hands up. 

“JJ! Why would you steal from her? I could have gotten in trouble if I’d gone in there! Each necklace is unique, she would’ve known it was the stolen one! I can’t believe you! She already follows me around when I go in there!” Kie said to him, getting back in the van and slamming the door shut. 

“I'm gonna leave her the money when I have it! I just didn’t have any and I wanted to get an actual good present this year instead of the usual shit! I’m sorry for trying to do something nice!” JJ yelled back, tired of everyone getting pissed at him all week when he was already on edge.

“Ok, hey, JJ, calm down. It’s not a big deal. We’ll get the money together and one of us can drop it off for her, or the necklace when she’s not there. Kie and Pope, chill out. It’s the thought that counts, right?” John B. said, turning around from the front seat to calm them down.

“Not a big deal? I’m sorry, did Peterkin not bring JJ into the station and threaten him with juvie if he kept this up? It’s a pretty big deal to me, John B!” Pope said back, looking at John B. as if he was crazy.

“He didn’t get caught though Pope. Yeah, it was a stupid decision but everything is ok, right?” John B. said and JJ got angry at being called stupid, even if he just meant what he did and not him.

“I’m sorry I’m so fucking stupid. It’s just I didn’t have any money to buy a real present and I didn’t want to be the only one without one to give this year!” JJ said, turning on John B.

“JJ, I would have been happy with just a dumb card! You don’t need money to get a present! Stealing something just puts you at risk for getting sent away! Why don’t you get that?” Kie said to him.

“You don’t need money to get a present? Easy for you to say, Kie. You don’t know what it’s like, never being able to afford shit.” JJ said, trying to stand up to leave the van. “Let me out.” 

Pope blocked the door. “No, you don’t need to go run off again. Just sit down and let’s figure it out, JJ.” 

“I’m not going to run off, Pope. I just want to get the hell away from all of you. All week you’ve been on my case!” He said, nudging Pope with his foot. Pope didn’t move and he turned to Kie’s side but she blocked it too. He catapulted himself into the front seat and tried to go out the passenger door but John B. grabbed his backpack. 

“JJ, no one’s on your case. We just don’t want you to get in trouble, but you didn’t so it’s all good. Let’s drop Kie and Pope off and go home, okay?” John B. said to him and he hesitated.

“Yeah, get rid of us so you can have actual best friend time and talk about everything that’s really going on.” Pope said from the back and John B. turned to look at him. 

“What? What are you talking about Pope?” He said and JJ reached for the door handle, but John B. locked the door.

“He’s talking about the two of you! And how you never tell us anything! You both say Pogues for life but what you really mean is John B. and JJ for life. No secrets between Pogues, remember?” Kie added and JJ realized they had been talking about this together.

JJ stayed silent, not wanting to even get close to the topics that they wanted to know more about. 

“Kie, what? How can you guys say that? There aren’t any secrets!” John B. said, looking at JJ for help. 

JJ felt guilty leaving John B. to deal with everything on his own with all of the stuff he was already going through, but he popped the lock and hopped out, dipping into an alley and running off towards The Cut.

* * *

“Thanks for ditching me with that drama, JJ. Really appreciate it. I swear, I’m literally about to have a heart attack. Can you have those at my age? I’m so stressed out. I feel like Pope.” John B. said when he came home an hour later to find JJ on the couch, smoking. At some point over the past week, Uncle T had bounced and JJ had felt bad after leaving the car, so he had come to wait for John B.

“Sorry, dude. Do what I do and smoke up. Morning, noon and night, baby.” JJ said, holding the blunt out to him. John B. accepted and threw himself down next to him.

They smoked for a minute together, mostly in silence before John B. really broke it.

“So, what’s the plan? Pope is feeling left out. And so is Kie. But Pope is definitely in his sad feels.” 

JJ didn’t want to talk about why Pope was sad or pissed, especially since the solution was reliant on JJ spilling his darkest secrets to make him feel better, which wasn’t an option.

“He’s probably just sad because he has too much shit to do for school. You know Heyward’s on his case.” JJ said after a pause.

“No, he’s definitely upset 'cause he can tell something’s up with you and he thinks I know everything and won’t tell him. And Kie said we always do that and leave them out and she’s pissed because it’s a founding principle not to have secrets.” He told JJ.

“Are you gonna say anything?” John B. prompted him when he just turned the tv on. 

“There’s nothing to say or do, bro. All we can do is say that’s not true and shit and hang out with them. I mean, the only reason we spend more time together is because they both have parents that are all over them.” JJ finally said, turning the tv up.

“What? It is true. He knows there’s shit that's going on with you and that’s why he’s mad. Because he doesn’t know what it is.” John B. answered and JJ felt his anger spike back up. The last thing he wanted to do was have another fight with John B. and then another week like the one he had before, alone and anxious.

“Okay, we’re not actually talking about this again. The whole point of having friends is that you don’t have to constantly avoid them. It’d be nice to have a week without that. Pope will get over it. I’m sure he and Kie have a shit-ton of shit they talk about that we don’t know about.”

John B. didn’t answer him right away but JJ felt him looking at him. He finally snapped and looked over at him. “What, John B? If you’re gonna even try to suggest talking to Pope about my shit or try to talk about that again, I’ll leave for a lot longer than a week, I swear.” 

John B. sighed and ran a hand over his face. “Stop threatening me with that, JJ.”

“I’m not high enough for this. Pope’s fine, he’ll get over it.” 

John B. didn’t answer and JJ pushed it again. “Right, John B?”

“Listen, JJ. I want to tell Pope what’s going on because I think he can help me get some help for you. Like read some stuff that might help you. But I also know that’s not gonna fix it overnight for you and I’m a Pogue and I’m your best friend and I want some fucking justice and revenge for you. So I want you to give me the motherfucker’s name and I want to take care of it for you. Me and Pope.” 

JJ froze, heart jumping out of his chest at everything he had just heard. His first priority was to immediately stop John B. from leaking his darkest secret to Pope. 

“Did you tell him?” He asked, terrified of the answer.

John B. was quiet for a second and JJ reached out and shoved him. “Did you?” He said again, louder. 

“No! I didn’t, okay? But I want to. And I’m asking you to let us help you.”

“No.” JJ said right away.

“Why are you making this so hard? You don’t even need to hear about it! We’re going to do it all for you! I’m trying to help and you refuse to even live in the real world! You can’t pretend these things didn’t happen!” John B. said back.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about and what I can do!” JJ yelled.

“I know enough to know that your way isn’t working. So I’m gonna do it my way.” John B. said and JJ tried to keep his eyes from bugging out. 

“You can’t break a promise, John B.” He said, mind racing with how to stop him from telling Pope.

“Sometimes you can, JJ. And if I have to break a promise I shouldn’t have made when we were kids to help you now, I’m gonna do it. And you can be mad all you want, but at least I’ll know I tried to help you.” John B. sounded so confident and his mind was so clearly made up that JJ felt the minimal control he had fly out the window. 

JJ raked his brain for ways to get John B. to stop. “What can I give you to make you stop?” 

John B. looked at JJ like he was crazy. “What?” He asked him, as if he hadn’t heard.

“I’ll give you money. Or weed. Or a new phone. What do you want?” JJ said again.

“That’s so messed up, JJ. Seriously. You think you can bribe me to stop caring about you?” 

“Just tell me what I have to do to make you not do this.” JJ said, desperately. 

“I don’t want anything from you! I want to help you so you can be happy! I want to fix this!” John B. yelled, snapping and going into the kitchen.

JJ bit his lip, staring over his shoulder at John B, not sure if he should follow him in or just leave. He finally said over his shoulder, “I’ll be happy if you stop.”

John B. didn’t answer and he turned around fully to see him sitting at the kitchen table, head in his hands. He thought he saw his shoulders shaking and he felt like a piece of shit that his first thought was to just dip out and leave him while he was distracted.

“Are you crying?” He finally asked.

John B. didn’t answer right away and he took a tiny step closer to him. “John B?” He said again.

“Do you know how hard it is to be friends with you sometimes, JJ? You won’t let anyone help you, not even me.” John B. said into his hands. 

JJ couldn’t help but feel a sharp stab of pain at his words. He already knew he was hard to be around, but having his best friend confirm it hurt more than he could handle right now.

“If I’m so hard to be friends with, then maybe-” He started to say before John B. looked up at him and cut him off.

“No, shut up, JJ. You didn’t let me finish. Do you know how easy it is to be friends with you  _ all  _ the time? You’re always there for me. For all of us. You’ve saved me these past few months with my dad missing. Let me save you.” He said to him.

JJ was really touched, but he was also a fifteen year old boy so he had to laugh inappropriately and make an insecure jab. “That’s kind of girly, John B.” He said to him, trying to laugh it off.

“So? Let me help you.”

JJ was slightly stoned and his number one priority was trying to figure out how to stop him from telling Pope, so he said the only thing he could think of. 

“If I let you help me, will you keep your promise about Pope?” He asked, biting the inside of his cheek as he waited for an answer.

“Yes! Duh. I was trying that first but you wouldn’t let me in.” John B. said, looking relieved and JJ felt a little better.

“You have to promise to stop bringing it up though. I need a few days to think about everything and then I’ll talk to you. I’m not gonna tell you a whole lot. And don’t even mention trying to find him.”

“What? Why not? No deal. The whole point of this plan is to get revenge for you. I’m not giving that up.” John B. said and JJ fought the urge to punch him.

“Look, I’m not talking about this shit right now. All you need to know is that he’s not around to get revenge on.” JJ said, feeling sick at the thought of him. He tried to focus on John B. to block out images that came up.

“What? Why not? Where is he?” John B. immediately started asking. 

“John B! I can’t do this right now! Give me some fucking time! You don’t know what it’s like for me, man. You’re making me talk about shit I thought I’d never talk about or think about again!” JJ snapped, turning to get his stuff and leave. 

“Wait, I’m sorry, JJ. You’re right. Don’t go. I promise I won’t mention it until you’re ready to talk. As long as you promise to actually talk and accept my help. Okay? Let’s keep getting high and watch some shit on tv, okay?” John B. said, standing up to go after him.

As worked up as JJ was, that sounded good to him. He wanted nothing more than to be able to fully relax without the threat of it coming up at any moment. Even though John B. hadn’t mentioned it in two weeks, he had been on edge the entire time, waiting for him to bring it up. It felt good to have some control again.

“Okay, fine. But can we go get food? I’m fucking starving, bro.” He lied, wanting an excuse to leave the house. He hadn’t been hungry lately with everything coming up and his anxiety from everyone being mad at him all week.

“I’m flat out broke, JJ. Mr. C, remember?” John B. said and JJ felt sick. 

“Shit. Sorry, dude, I’ll pay you back. Should we go to Pope’s and try to apologize and see if we can get a free meal while we’re at it?” He suggested. 

“If we’re gonna try to do a Heyward family dinner, I’m getting high before we go in. I can’t handle that dude at work and for fun.” John B. said. 

“You can’t, bro. You always act like an idiot and he knows right away. We’ll smoke up after, okay?” JJ suggested, following him to the door.

“Easy for you to say. You’re high right now.” John B. said, but he shook his head and grabbed his keys. 

“Yeah, but I’m always a little high. It just puts me on the same level as you are normally, trust me.” JJ justified. It was true. It calmed him down and let him think more coherently. When he didn’t smoke, his thoughts would race uncontrollably and he could barely focus on one thing.

“You should tell Heyward that when he notices.” John B. laughed.

“Maybe I will. Maybe he’ll smoke up with us. You never know.” JJ said as he slammed the car door shut.

“Yeah, go ahead and suggest that, genius.” 

“That’d be so sick though, right? If we just got Pope's whole family baked one time? We should give them pot brownies.” JJ laughed.

“We’re not giving them pot brownies, JJ. They would murder us.” 

“If that was the last thing I saw before I died, I'd die happy.” JJ said, smiling at the image.

“Oh my god. I’m warning the whole family.” John B. threatened. 

JJ laughed, before his anxiety at what was coming in the next few days for him spiked back up.

“Do you think Pope will ever get high with us?” He asked John B.

“I don’t know, JJ. Do miracles come true?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> False alarm about the two weeks (don't listen to me next time)  
> I know this chapter is kind of depressing....again...everyone is having a rough time and is upset about something...but don't worry, there will be harmony again soon! John B. deserves a medal. Actually, they all do!  
> And Pope will give JJ his present next chapter.
> 
> Hopefully you had a good holiday if you celebrated and if not, a good week!


	17. Act Like a JJ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JJ is opening up a little to John B., it's nothing graphic at all, but if this is something you need to skip, please skip the very last scene.

“Pope! Come on! We’re gonna be late to meet everyone!” JJ called into the store as he arrived to pick Pope up. They were all heading to the Boneyard and JJ had offered to pick Pope up as he closed the store. 

“Give me a second. I have to finish the count, JJ.” Pope mumbled from the register. JJ tried to ignore his depressing vibe and hopped up onto the counter, kicking his heels against it obnoxiously.

Pope paused to glare at him and JJ stopped for a second before starting up again when he looked away.

“JJ.” Pope said as he counted.

“Sorry. Can you hurry up, though?”

Pope finished and shoved the money into the bank deposit bag before writing it down on the sheet. 

“Hey, you never gave me my present, by the way. For Poguemas. I showed up to all my shifts and school and everything, too. Fork it over, bro.” JJ said to him when he kept ignoring him.

“I just forgot, JJ. You’re so dramatic.” Pope said, but he disappeared into Heyward’s back room before coming out with a small box. He stood in front of JJ and shoved it into his hands.

“Is this a ring? Are you proposing to me? Should we be alone right now?” JJ laughed as he opened the box, ducking away when Pope tried to shove him.

“It  _ is  _ a ring! It’s sick, Pope, but what gives? I didn’t know we were ready for marriage.” JJ said, putting it on his ring finger and holding it out to mess with Pope.

“Oh my god. It’s not for marriage, you dumbass. It’s a special ring. I saw it online. It’s supposed to help people with ADHD cause it has different sections that turn and twist and you can mess with it when you need something to do. Like right now. Instead of kicking the counter in, you could spin that around.” Pope said.

JJ tried it, trying not to act like it was one of the coolest presents he’d ever gotten. 

“I figured since you have lots of rings already, you might as well have one that helps you out.” Pope continued. “Do you like it?”

“The best present I’ve ever gotten in my whole life.” JJ said seriously and Pope smiled back at him genuinely.

“Awww.” Pope said and JJ kicked him to ruin the moment. Pope jumped out of the way and got his backpack. “You ready to go? You were dying to get there a few minutes ago.” 

JJ hesitated, unsure of how to phrase what he wanted to say, but knowing that he owed Pope an explanation after the other day. “Listen, Pope, I know you’ve been pissed at me lately.” He started.

Pope dropped his bag and came back over to JJ, crossing his arms. “Yeah. Because you won’t tell me what’s going on.” 

“Okay. This is really hard for me to say, okay? There’s some shit from when we were kids that’s coming up again because of John B. And he should have never found out about it, but he keeps bringing it up and it’s messing with me and that’s why I was gone for those six days. So, sorry if I’ve been a dick. You are my best friend, just as much as John B. If anything, you annoy me less than him. But it’s not something I want to share with  _ anyone _ , okay?” JJ said, avoiding eye contact with Pope. He spun his ring around as he talked.

“Wait, what? We were friends as kids. Was it before I became friends with you?” Pope asked and JJ closed his eyes briefly to calm himself down. He knew Pope would have questions, but he couldn’t talk about it anymore. 

“Look, it doesn’t matter when it was. I’m just trying to explain what’s up and ask if you can respect me and not talk about it. Okay?” 

“Can I help you with it? John B. isn’t exactly the best at helping, as much as he tries.” Pope said.

“Pope.” JJ said, staring at him, hoping he would get the message. “ _ Please _ .” 

Pope looked at him and JJ could tell he was actually biting his tongue to resist asking more questions. He nodded at JJ and JJ broke out into a relieved smile. 

“Thank you. Seriously, dude. Now are you ready to get fucked up at the Boneyard or what?” JJ said, hopping off the counter and heading for the door. 

“You know what? For once, I kind of am.” Pope said.

“My man!” JJ answered, hopping down the steps and going over to his bike as Pope locked up. He was hoping that Pope really would be able to resist asking again and they could go back to normal.

* * *

JJ waited until John B. was asleep one night three days later before crawling into his room through the window and laying down next to him, nudging him with his arm.

“You can’t find him because he’s dead.” 

He watched as John B. slowly woke up to his voice and looked over at him. “JJ? What?” He said, rubbing his eyes. “When did you get here? Who’s dead?”

“The monster.” He said, clenching his jaw at the thought of the man who had abused him in the most horrible possible ways for five weeks.

“Oh. Oh, shit. What do you mean he’s dead?” John B. said, sitting up and trying to turn the light on to see JJ.

“Don’t turn it on. I don’t want to talk about it, I don’t want to go into details, this is all I can tell you right now.” JJ said, pushing John B.’s arm away from him as he reached across him for the light. 

“Shit. Ok. Ok. That’s ok. But can you just tell me what happened? How do you know he’s dead?” John B. waved a hand at JJ as he saw him clench his jaw to refuse. “Please, JJ. Just tell me and then I’ll stop asking. I want to make sure he’s dead because I’ve been planning to do it myself.”

“Stop being an idiot, John B.” JJ said, swallowing a lump in his throat. 

“I’m not being an idiot. I’m keeping my promise, like you kept yours.” He said back. “Remember?”

“What promise?” JJ asked, trying to focus on John B.’s voice instead of the memories that were coming up.

“In third grade. We did our first spit shake promise after that fight on the playground. And we promised we would always protect each other.” John B. said. “That’s why I was planning it.”

JJ couldn’t remember the promise. He couldn’t remember a lot from third grade or fourth grade before it happened. Pope and John B. would tease him but sometimes when he thought back to his childhood, all he remembered were the terrifying moments mixed in with some fun times with his friends and he couldn’t remember a lot of specific memories like they could. 

He did remember a lot of things from when he “disappeared”. He remembered the threats and the sheer terror and the crying. He remembered his mom not noticing a thing and leaving him alone with the monster almost every night to go to work. 

He blinked back tears and swallowed again before finally saying, “Yeah, well, it’s done for you.” 

“Can you tell me what happened?” John B. said to him quietly. John B. was never really quiet but he was a good fucking friend and he could be a great listener when JJ needed it. 

“I think my dad killed him.” He said after a long pause. 

“What? Your dad? Why do you think that?” John B. said, sitting up and staring at JJ intensely in the dark.

“Stop staring at me, John B. I don’t fucking know for sure. But I think so.” 

“What happened?” John B. pressed JJ.

“Look, it’s really hard to remember everything, okay? And it makes me feel sick and then I’m a stupid pussy and it’s embarrassing that I let that shit happen to me and it makes me cry like some kind of little kid and it makes me sick. So I try to forget.” JJ snapped, wiping his arm over his eyes.

“Let? You didn’t let anything happen, JJ. You were a kid. Do you want to talk about it?” John B. asked.

“No. I really fucking don’t. I won’t. Not tonight. I should have never told you any of that. Just forget about it.” He said, eyes open to avoid flashbacks. He focused on the broken lava lamp on John B.’s desk. 

“Yes you should have. And I should have told someone. Just tell me why you think he’s dead.” John B. said, scooting so his arm was touching JJ’s.

JJ was silent for a whole minute. He knew John B. would wait him out but he was trying to decide how much to tell him and trying to suppress the memories.

“When I finally got to come home, I was acting really weird, do you remember that? And my dad kept asking me what they had done to me. I remember he was really nice to me for like three weeks and let me stay up with him at night and shit when I was too scared to sleep. And finally, he snapped one day and made me tell him, even though the monster had told me he would kill my mom and then my dad and make me live with him forever if I told anyone. And when I told my dad, he disappeared and left me with my aunt for like a whole week, John B. And when he came back, he told me I didn’t have to worry about him ever again. So yeah. I think my dad killed him.”

“JJ…shit.” John B. trailed off, processing it. “Did you ever actually ask him if he killed him? Your dad’s the biggest asshole around, but a murderer? I don’t know.”

“I didn’t have to ask! It’s obvious. So when you and Pope and Kie say my dad is a piece of shit and to just ignore him and just leave him and stay here, it’s really fucking hard. Because he loves me and he saved me and he saved my mom, too. And I owe him. I would have never felt safe again if he hadn’t done that, John B.” JJ said as he got up and headed towards the window.

“Don’t leave, JJ. It’s okay, we don’t have to talk about it anymore right now.” John B. said, sitting up too.

“I’m tired, John B. I’m gonna go home and sleep. I’ll catch you later.” He said as he climbed out the window. 

It wasn’t until after he was gone that he realized he could have just walked out the front door. He was so stuck in his memories of being a kid that he had gone back to getting to John B. how he used to when Big John was around and he had to sneak in.

* * *

“Kie’s texting if anyone wants to go to the mainland with her and go to Target.” John B. said to JJ one random Tuesday night in January. “She says she’s almost here. Pope already said no. Nerd.”

“Hell yeah! I fucking love that place! Tell her we’re in!” JJ said immediately, sitting up and pulling his boots on.

“I’ll tell her  _ you're  _ in. I can’t go on drives when I’m stoned. It puts me to sleep.” John B. said to him.

“Come on, dude! Seriously? You barely smoked.” JJ complained. He hated that he felt uneasy about being alone with Kie, but after the necklace incident, he couldn’t help it. He felt like a piece of shit.

“I should probably do some homework, JJ. You should too, actually. You literally never do work.” 

“I have to go to school, right? I do that. What more could they ask of me?” He said to John B. “What kind of loser does extra work?”

“It’s not extra work, it’s literally homework.” John B. argued, reaching a lazy hand out for his backpack.

“Home. Work. Work you do at home. Extra work.” JJ said, moving his hands to prove his point. “When’s Kie getting me?” 

“She said to meet her at the end of the driveway in two minutes. She doesn’t want to kill John B. or Pope.” John B. answered.

“You mean, she doesn’t want to kill JJ or Kie.” JJ said. “We all know it was Pope and John B. who died.” 

Last weekend, another one of the roosters had died, leaving the two very well adjusted ones left, guarding John B.’s property ferociously.

“Why would the John B. rooster die? This is literally my house. Besides, we all know the JJ rooster was the one with the janky leg. You died, dude. Accept it.” 

“Nope. I’m out. I’ll steal us some M&M’s.” JJ said as he walked towards the door, pulling his coat on.

“No stealing, JJ! Don’t!” He heard after him as the screen door slammed. He walked down the dark driveway, zipping up his coat, side eying the rooster coop in case they didn’t like zippers. Kie pulled up right as he got to the end and he hopped in, scaring her. She screamed before reaching over to shove him. 

“Jesus Christ, JJ! You can’t just jump in my car in the dark like that! I almost had a heart attack!” She yelled.

“You literally told me to meet you at the end of the driveway!” He argued, laughing. 

“Oh my god. Don’t do that again.” She said, hand on her heart. “Put your seatbelt on.” 

JJ groaned, but pulled it on before shoving it behind himself so it was only around his waist. “Seatbelts are for losers.”

“Then they’re perfect for you.” Kie said, laughing at him.

He flipped her off and they sped off towards the bridge. She was talking about random stuff and he was laughing at everything. Usually she would be annoyed to be around him when he was high and she wasn’t, but she didn’t say anything tonight.

They got there thirty minutes later, going in and messing around in the aisles.

“Alright, let me get my shit, JJ! Stop!” Kie laughed, running away from him when he tried to chase her with a bra covering his face. An employee yelled at him and Kie laughed at him when he got scared and put it back.

They stopped in the candy aisle and JJ subtly shoved a small bag of M&M’s in his coat while Kie was looking at the organic candy. Without thinking, he reached for a bag of Sour Patch Kids and was shoving it under his jacket right when she looked over at him. 

“JJ, put it back.” She said, annoyed.

He immediately felt embarrassed at her noticing, which turned into anger within seconds, reminded of the necklace again. He hadn’t even really meant to steal, it was just second nature to him when he was in a store like this. He had thought Kie wouldn’t notice. 

He walked away without putting it back, knowing he was being a dumbass, but not wanting to admit it.

He heard her let out a loud groan and grab her basket before she went over to the checkout. He turned and followed her over, hovering near her as she scanned her items. 

“Let me scan them.” She demanded.

“No. I can get my own shit.” He said, taking a step away from her. 

“JJ! Give me the shit!” She said, and her voice was louder. The employee in charge of monitoring the self-check looked at them. 

“Is everything okay?” He asked them, acting like he was some kind of cop.

“Yes, everything’s great.” JJ said back, stepping closer to Kie again.

Kie looked at him and for one split second he thought she was going to tell on him before she shook his head. It must be the weed.

“We’re good.” She agreed and the man went back to the middle to monitor.

She paid for her stuff and grabbed the bags, heading out of the store without waiting for JJ. He followed slowly, feeling like the biggest idiot around for having just stolen around Kie again. Not to mention the fact that her dad was sure to be coming for him any day now about the money.

She started the car and they drove in mostly silence, the radio low. JJ turned it up and she glared at him, turning it back down.

“Why do you do it?” She asked him ten minutes into the drive home. Her tone made him want to jump out of the moving car, regardless of how fast they were going.

JJ subconsciously put his hand on the handle of the car. 

“You won’t understand.” He finally said, looking out the window. 

“Just explain it to me. I’m not gonna say shit, you already know how I feel. I just want to understand  _ why _ .” Kie pushed.

“Because I have to sometimes, Kie.”

“No, but sometimes you do it when you have tons of money. Like when you and John B. kept on stealing even though you had more cash than you knew what to do with. Why?” She asked again, looking over at him briefly.

JJ really didn’t feel like analyzing himself and talking about why he was fucked up with Kie, but he was high and words always came out easier that way. 

“I guess I just can’t help but want to get as much money and stuff as I can. Like even when John B and me had a lot, I wanted more. I don’t know, it’s an urge. Like I need it. I guess when you have nothing, it just feels so good to get something that you want to keep doing it.” He said honestly.

“Like, you feel like you have to?” She asked. “Cause it seems like you like it.”

“I mean, yeah. I like getting away with it and shit. I like tricking people when they don’t notice. I like taking stuff just so I can take it. I don’t know how to describe it. It just feels good. It’s like a high when I get away with it. It’s so fucking easy.” He paused when his brain caught up with how that sounded. “I don’t do it to hurt people.”

“But it can hurt people. Someone could lose their job for having a bad inventory. I mean, my dad’s really upset about the person who stole from him. I just see the other side.” Kie answered.

“Yeah, well, I don’t get to see the other side, Kie. I’m broke as shit ninety-nine percent of the time. Sometimes I literally have no other way to eat. Or get clothes or shit like that.” He replied, getting angry at the mention of Mr. C. He was dreading when Kie found out about it.

“You can always come to one of us, though. For food and stuff. Like, I was literally about to buy it for you, but you refuse. It just pisses me off that you won’t accept help.” She said and JJ was reminded of his conversations with John B. and Pope. He really didn’t want to keep talking about this. 

“Look, Kie. Sometimes I just want to be able to know that I got something for myself. That I didn’t have to have my friends pity buy me my fucking dinner or loan me money for a stupid jacket. I know you can’t relate, I don’t expect you to. You’re from Kookland. But can you please just drop it?” He begged. “I already know I’m a piece of shit, okay?”

“You’re not a piece of shit, JJ. I just wish I could help you. And for the record, you only get away with this shit because you’re white. Pope and I get followed in stores all the time.” Kie said and JJ felt like an even bigger piece of shit that this had turned into Kie trying to help him of all things. 

“I'm sorry, okay, Kie? We’re a piece of shit racist state. Enough with the emotional shit, though. Did you hear about Rose Cameron?” He said, trying to change the subject.

He noticed Kie’s hand tighten on the wheel at the mention of Sarah’s stepmom. “About her botched nose job? Yeah, I heard. Apparently she paid to stay in the hospital for like two weeks so they can pretend it was from an accident.” Kie said.

“Shit! I knew you’d have the latest. Can’t she just get another?” JJ said, happy that he managed to change subjects.

“No, dumbass. This one has to heal first. You can’t just keep slicing your nose open or it falls off. Duh.” Kie answered, laughing a little. 

“Hey, how the fuck would I know? My nose is perfect and I’m a Pogue. We don’t get surgery.”

“You might if you get rich. My dad was a Pogue and he got Botox with my mom. Don’t tell him I said that though. My mom made him.” Kie said, holding out her pinky for JJ to pinky promise.

He crossed pinkies with her, already planning to tell John B.

“Damn. He’s definitely not a Pogue anymore, Kie.”

* * *

JJ was getting dressed one morning when he heard a huge crash followed by silence. 

“Dad?” JJ called.

His dad had been binge drinking even more lately and he really didn’t want to go out and deal with him, but he had to make sure he was okay.

He slowly opened his door and walked down the hallway cautiously. He rushed over to his dad when he saw him slumped on the floor near the kitchen, back against the wall, head down.

“Dad?” He said again, scared to touch him but not sure if he was conscious. He picked up a pill bottle next to him and read the label before throwing it across the room in anger.

His dad picked his head up slightly and threw up all over the floor next to him. 

JJ jumped out of the way just in time. “Fuck!” He said, getting up to find paper towels.

His dad almost slumped into it so he dropped the paper towels and grabbed him instead, trying to pull him up and get him onto the couch. 

His dad pushed him his hand, but he was weak and JJ managed to get him onto the sofa. He started to walk back towards the mess to clean it up when he heard a car coming down the driveway and cussed again when he saw it was Mr. C’s car.

He hesitated in the middle of the room, torn between running for his room to jump out the window and trying to close the blinds before Mr. C could see inside so he could hide out until he left. He looked at the car again quickly as it got closer and froze when he saw John B. in the front seat next to him.

He knew he couldn’t ditch John B. with Mr. C, but he didn’t want anyone seeing his dad like this, especially not them. He quickly cleaned up the mess while planning his elaborate lie to stop Mr. C from coming in when there was an aggressive knock on the door.

He went over when it got louder, not wanting his dad to wake up and cracked the door open a tiny bit, blocking their view of the inside. He pretended to look surprised to see them and John B. gave him a  _ look _ and he knew shit had already gone down.

“Mr. C and John B? Did he kidnap you, John B? Blink twice if you need help.” He tried to joke, but he heard his dad groan inside and he looked over his shoulder before shifting to block the door more.

“JJ, I’m here to talk to your dad. Enough is enough, go get him.” Mr. C said immediately.

“Yeah, so I would invite you in, but my dad’s really sick. He actually just threw up before you got here so I’m trying to deal with it. He can’t talk. You can come back never.” JJ said, tapping his fingers rapidly against the doorframe. He was bouncing a little on his heels with nervous energy. 

“JJ, I need to speak to your dad. I see his truck. Enough excuses. Either get him or I’ll wait here until he comes out.” Mr. C said.

“He’s sick. You don’t want to get what he has.” JJ said. “Why don’t you get that?”

“Well, when your track record with telling the truth is so splotchy, it’s hard to believe you. I know you don’t want me to talk to him.”

“I’m telling the truth. Look, John B, I told you my dad was sick, didn’t I?” He said, turning to John B.

“Yeah, he did. He’s been sick for a few days now, Mr. C.” John B. agreed, nodding.

“JJ, I’m not leaving until I talk to him. Go get him.” Mr. C demanded.

“Guess you’re not leaving then. You might as well get comfortable because you’re not coming in and he can’t come out.” JJ said, wanting to know how far he could push him before he snapped. He guessed he wasn’t too far from it, but it seemed like he was different than his dad and different than Heyward. He didn’t know how to handle him.

“Go get him.” Mr. C repeated and John B. looked away awkwardly at the tension.

JJ finally snapped. “I can’t get him because he’s passed out, okay? Do I have to spell it out for you?” He knew he was being rude, but he didn’t care, angry at Mr. C for trying to get him in trouble and for demanding things that he couldn’t make happen even if he wanted to. 

“JJ, it’s time to stop lying. I’m going to talk to him either way.” Mr. C continued.

“Fine! You want to talk to him so badly? He’s right here. Try talking to him when he’s like this.” He threw the door open for them, angry and embarrassed when they stepped in, looking around at the mess, the bottles and the pill bottles on the tables. He noticed a small baggy of his dad’s coke on the table and he tried to block it, but Mr. C saw it first.

John B. accidentally bumped into a table when trying to avoid a bottle on the floor, knocking tools onto the ground that clanged loudly as they dropped. They all looked over at his dad, but he didn’t move from his position on the couch, mouth wide open.

No one said anything, John B. distracting himself from the awkward situation by picking up the tools and struggling to put them back on the messy table. Mr. C finally itched the back of his neck and cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry, JJ, I shouldn’t have pushed it. You need some help? Want me to take him to the doctor?” He finally said.

“The doctor? Come on, Mr. C, you’re from the Cut. He’s not sick.” He confessed, annoyed at having to spell it out for him.

“Does this, uh, happen a lot?” He asked him again, clearly uncomfortable. 

JJ laughed, but it wasn’t a happy laugh. “No, it doesn’t happen a lot.” He lied. In his experience, people like Mr. C thought they wanted to help, but what they really wanted was to be reassured that it wasn’t as bad as they thought so they could feel okay leaving the situation as is. 

JJ was proven wrong when Mr. C reached for a pile of magazines, looking as out of place as they all felt. 

“Well, let’s help you clean this place up. You shouldn’t be dealing with this on your own.” Mr. C said, turning to assess where he could put them. 

  
  
“No, it’s always like this. He doesn’t like me to touch stuff and move it around.” He said as Mr. C put it back down when he realized he didn’t know where to put it.

John B. was being weirdly quiet and JJ looked at him and saw him looking at the battered school picture that was on the wall of JJ in the first grade. He assumed his mom had hung it up years ago, but he had always wondered why his dad didn’t take it down. He was smiling a huge smile and wearing his Spiderman t-shirt with his front teeth missing. It must have been a good week at home when it was taken. 

He noticed JJ looking at him and smirked, pointing at the picture. “You used to be cute.  _ Used  _ to.” He joked. 

“I’m still cute. Cuter than you.” JJ said back and Mr. C looked at the picture before looking away, swallowing hard. If JJ didn’t know any better, he’d think he was about to cry. He guessed seeing JJ’s reality after so long on Figure Eight was hard to swallow.

“Why don’t you and John B. wait in the car? I’ll make sure your dad’s good and then I’ll drop you guys off wherever you want to go. We can deal with this other stuff at a better time.”

“You’re going to go easy on me because of this?” JJ asked. It almost made him mad that Mr. C would drop it just because he felt sorry for him after seeing his shithole house and his dad.

“I’m not going easy on you, don’t worry. But you shouldn’t be on your own with this. Let me get it covered and we’ll deal with the rest later.” Mr. C reassured him.

JJ was not about to leave Mr. C alone in his house with his dad and the drugs and the mess. He was careful with what he said next, not wanting to reveal too much in case Mr. C would try to report it. 

“I just get him water and Advil and try to put him on his side and he’s good. Usually he doesn’t remember anything the next day.” He said. He left out the part about how his dad was usually in a rage and took it out on him before this part of the cycle and how he woke up his usual angry self the next day.

“That’s messed up, JJ.” John B. said and JJ gave him a look. The last thing he needed was John B. making Mr. C think it was as bad as it was.

“I mean, it only happens a few times a year, when he’s had a rough day.” JJ added when Mr. C just looked at his dad.

“Ok, I’ve got that covered. You guys wait outside. I’ll be out in a few. And don’t run away!” 

By the time Mr. C had finished his sentence, JJ had already gone into his kitchen to find a glass and fill it up with water and grab the Advil bottle. It took him a minute to find it and when he did, he looked inside and only saw one. He figured his dad would be fine, he’d had enough pills anyways.

“I could have done that, JJ. I’m not sure if he should have Advil if he took something else.” Mr. C said. John B. was already standing by the door, clearly excited to take Mr. C up on his offer to wait outside.

“I got it.” JJ said, trying to move his dad onto his side. “I’m gonna grab my stuff.” He said and he disappeared quickly into his room.

“Luke?” He heard Mr. C saying and he heard a groan. He quickly grabbed his stuff and went back in the room, walking over to them as his dad tried to sit up.

“Who’re you?” His dad slurred.

“It’s Mike Carrera. Kiara’s dad? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

JJ stepped closer to them. “No, he’s okay, he’s never gone to the hospital.”

He couldn’t pretend it didn’t feel a little bit nice to have someone else check his dad, as nervous and embarrassed as he was about the situation. And that it was Mr. C of all people. He usually did worry if his dad was going to choke or not wake up, but he tried to play it down. He always felt stupid for worrying when his dad was back up the next day, being an asshole again.

Mr. C looked at him before checking his dad again. “I’m taking JJ for a little bit while you come down from this. I’ll be back to talk about getting you some help.” 

“Mr. C, he doesn’t know.” He said. What he meant, he wasn’t sure himself, all he knew was his dad never knew what day or year it was when he was like this. And that his dad wouldn’t want help. And that he wouldn’t want Mr. C on his property when he was sober.

His dad’s eyes were already closed and Mr. C checked on him one more time before turning to them.

“Alright, you ready? You got your stuff?” He said to JJ and JJ saw him look around the room before looking at the picture of him as a kid again.

“Yeah.” He said and John B. was already out the door, excited to get out.

It was five minutes into the drive, when they were almost to John B.’s, when he decided to ask what Mr. C had meant. He was in the backseat, opening and closing the window obnoxiously to distract himself from his nervous energy and was worried that Mr. C was going to try to report his dad. 

“What did you mean?” He asked.

“About what?” Mr. C said, looking at him in the mirror.

“When you said you were gonna get him some help.”

John B. was being weird and awkward in the front seat and JJ was embarrassed to ask even more in front of him but he had to know.

“Well, there are out-patient rehabs and programs he can join. Or support groups. So he can get clean. For you and for himself.” Mr. C said.

“He won’t do that.” JJ said before he realized that he needed to play it down. “I mean, he doesn’t need that. He barely ever does this.” He didn’t mention that they had no money and the shittiest insurance ever. Or that he used to bring the pamphlets from school on addiction home and they would go in the trash. Or that his dad didn’t want to change.

Mr. C didn’t answer right away, turning quickly into John B.’s driveway. John B. opened his mouth at the last second to warn him before they heard a thud.

“Oh my god! You just hit Kie!” He said, hopping out of the car as Mr. C slammed the brakes on. JJ hopped out too, rushing over to the side of the car.

“What?! What the hell are you talking about? Kiara?” Mr. C jumped out of the car, panicking, before he became annoyed to see John B. holding a rooster and petting it. 

“It’s okay, she’s good. She’s durable.” John B. reassured them both. “Poor baby.”

“Why the  _ hell  _ is your rooster named after my daughter? I thought I had hit Kiara!” Mr. C yelled, getting back in the car.

“Well, we had four and they were named after us, but two died. And Kie likes to play chicken with cars to see if they’ll hit her.” John B. explained. JJ laughed and went over to pet her.

Mr. C took a few deep breaths and JJ almost felt bad. “Alright, I think that’s me done for today. I’ll be in touch, JJ. Don’t worry, you’re not getting off easy.” He said to him as he started to reverse.

“Wait, Mr. C? I’m sorry.” He said. “I’m a piece of shit. I’ll make it up to you.” 

Mr. C looked surprised before he managed to cover it up. “You’re not a piece of shit. You’re a teenager. Almost the same thing, though. Thank you for saying sorry. You and John B. can help by rebuilding our dock at The Wreck. The last storm destroyed it.” 

JJ barely held back a groan, but John B. let one out. “I didn’t even do it! You know that now!” 

“You said you did it. That’s enough for me. Let that be a lesson to stop covering for your friend.” Mr. C said, backing his car up. “I’ll tell Kiara you say hi.”

“Can she come over later?” JJ called to him.

“Not a chance!” He yelled back. JJ thought he heard him say something about how she didn’t listen to him anyway to himself but he wasn’t sure.

* * *

“JJ!” JJ heard Pope call from across the hallway. He cursed under his breath before turning to face Pope with a smile. Pope struggled to get across the hallway through the crowd to JJ.

“Gym is the other way.” Pope said suspiciously to him. JJ did a big show of looking around before answering.

“Oh, shit, really? I forgot we even had Gym. I thought I had Math.”

“As if you weren’t about to ditch through the science lab. Let’s go. John B.’s probably there already.” Pope said, pulling JJ back down the hallway.

“You say that like that will make me walk faster. I’m not in love with John B. I see his ass all the time.” JJ argued, but he went with Pope.

“You are in love with John B. It’s okay to admit it.” Pope laughed as he flipped him off. They went into the locker room and met John B. who was carefully folding one of his patterned shirts and putting it in his locker gently. JJ opened a locker without a padlock and pulled out his gym clothes, throwing them on.

“Gross, JJ. How long have those been in there without being washed? You haven’t come to Gym in like three months.” Pope said, gagging. 

“You want a sniff, Pope? I smell like a rose.” JJ said, walking up to him, arm up so Pope could smell his armpit.

John B. pushed JJ away before he could get closer to them. “Two feet, please. Some of us have an image to maintain.”

“What image? You think I don’t have an image?” JJ argued back. They finished changing and followed everyone out to the gym.

“No, you have an image. You smelling like an ape fits your image perfectly. You know what else fits your image? You wearing boots to Gym class, dumbass.” John B. said, laughing at his shoes.

“Shit. Oh well. It’s not like we exercise here anyways.” JJ said right as the gym teacher declared they were running the mile and ushered them all outside.

“Awesome. Thanks a lot, Pope. I was going to go have a nice little break and now I have to run a mile. In boots.” JJ groaned.

“Are you scared, JJ? That I’ll beat you?” John B. said, stretching like a jackass.

“Jackass.” Pope said and JJ laughed at John B. Pope hated running.

“No, I could beat you with or without shoes on.” JJ said.

The gym teacher blew the whistle and everyone started running. JJ and Pope quickly fell to the back of the group, John B. sprinting ahead in his sneakers and JJ lasted about two minutes before stopping to dry heave. 

“Too...much...smoking.” Pope said to him, holding onto a tree to catch his breath.

“Too...much...studying.” JJ said back, grabbing Pope and dragging him into the bushes. The gym teacher was stupid enough to have them run around the school, which had lots of places to hide and little visibility. 

“What’re you doing? We have to keep going.” Pope said, but he slumped down onto the ground.

“We’re ditching, Pope. Text JB and tell him to get our shit from the locker room after, okay? We’re not going back. We’ll both die if we do.” JJ said seriously.

Pope’s eye bugged out and he tried to stand up again. “No! N-O. I’m not ditching school. This is my most important year yet! I have to get this scholarship, JJ! I can’t miss a single-”

JJ reached over and pulled Pope up before shaking him a little. “Pope. This is important. You forget who the teacher is. He doesn’t take attendance, he marks everyone present. If your last teacher marks you absent, say you were tutoring. No one will catch us. We’re practically off school grounds right now already.”

Pope kept shaking his head and JJ reached in his pocket for his phone. “Text John B. This is for your own good, trust me.”

“Yeah, every time you say ‘trust me’, I immediately know not to trust you.” Pope said, but he took his phone and opened it. 

JJ held back a cheer, knowing if he showed that he was excited, Pope would back out. “It’s time for JJ and Pope time.” He said instead, dragging him with him through the trees towards the street.

“Shit. I’m gonna be in so much trouble. I’ll never get into college now! No, we can’t go that way, JJ! Everyone will see us! Where are we even going?” Pope ranted as JJ tried to lead them through the neighborhood behind the school.

“Pope. Pope! Listen to me.” JJ said, putting his hands on his shoulders. “You are fifteen years old, not fifty. It’s one class. He took us outside because he wants us to run away, man. It’s 1:30 already, no one’s gonna notice that you aren’t there for a few classes. Let’s go to John B’s and borrow the boat.”

Pope took a deep breath before nodding. They started to walk again before Pope stopped, grabbing JJ’s arm. “What, Pope?” He said, frustrated.

“We’re wearing our gym uniforms! Everyone’s gonna know we’re fugitives! We have to go back!”

“Pope. I say this with love. Shut up. Shut up, okay? We’ll take the back way and raid John B.’s closet for some semi-normal clothes. It’s fine. Trust me, no one is looking or cares. This is the Cut.” JJ said, pulling him down the road.

That calmed Pope down for a few minutes. They kept walking, Pope looking over his shoulder for the police to show up and arrest them or whatever he thought was going to happen. They were about to cross the main road that stretched from one end of the island to the other to get to the woods when a car sped up to them. JJ immediately took a step back to avoid getting hit as it swerved over.

“You two losers lost? In your little uniforms? You want a ride back to that shithole school?” Rafe called from his car, laughing at them.

JJ hadn’t seen Rafe since they had threatened him and it had backfired. His nose looked all better from when JJ had hit him, much to his disappointment. He tensed and took a step towards the car but Pope grabbed him and held him back.

“ _ You _ want a ride, Rafe? We can knock you out and take your little BMW for a spin with you in the back.” JJ said and Pope groaned. 

“JJ, shut up. Let’s go.” Pope whispered to him, trying to make him move.

“Go ahead and try it, JJ.” Rafe laughed at him. “Hey, how’s Kiara? Which one of you is she fucking around with now? I mean, we all know that’s the only reason why she would want to spend time with you three fuckups in that shack John B. calls a house.”

JJ went towards the car, but Rafe sped off, spraying dirt from the side of the road in their faces. 

“JJ! What’s wrong with you? If you had done anything to his stupid car or touched him, you know he would make you pay for that! Why can’t you just ignore him? He targets you because he knows you’re easy to rile up!” Pope yelled at him after they both stopped coughing from the dirt.

“I fucking hate him, Pope! He gets away with everything!” JJ said back, crossing the road into the woods angrily. He heard Pope run after him. 

“Hey, I hate him too. We all do. But he literally just wants a reaction and you give him exactly what he wants.” Pope said to him.

“Whatever, Pope. I’m sorry I can’t just relax and stay quiet when he talks about us like that! You heard what he said!”

They walked in silence for a minute before getting to John B.’s road, JJ eventually calming down a little.

“Do you want to get some beers and go fishing?” Pope asked and JJ couldn’t believe his ears.

“Pope? Is that you? Suggesting we not only go fishing but we take beers? After skipping school? I’m so proud of you right now.” JJ said as they went down the driveway.

“Might as well take advantage of not having John B. here to drink them all. And I can steal his rod.” Pope said as he sidestepped the rooster coming for him.

“She wants you to pet her, Pope. Pet Kie and tell her you love her.” JJ said to him as he walked backwards.

“I don’t even know where to start. The fact that a rooster can’t be a girl? The fact that you're a perv? The fact that that wouldn’t help and she’d still peck me?” Pope said, skipping over to JJ to hide behind him.

“Stop running from her. And you literally just called her a ‘she’. Besides, what would the real Kie say to that? It’s the 22nd century, if the rooster says she’s a girl, she’s a girl.”

“What? It’s the 21st century. Oh my god. We shouldn’t have skipped school, you need it too much.” Pope said before running towards the house. “John B. only has so many non-obnoxious clothes. Last one in has to look like him!” 

“That’s cheating, Pope! I’ll literally go shirtless before I dress like him!”

“Then stop talking about roosters and get in here!” Pope said, already to the door. 

“I call his jacket!” JJ called, trying to run without Kie chasing him.

“Too late!” Pope called from inside.

* * *

JJ and John B. were surfing together the following week when JJ decided to open up again. He hadn’t planned on it but the ocean always calmed him down and he’d been thinking a lot lately and decided it might help to get it off his chest. He waited until he knew a good wave was coming before talking. 

“He used to tell me he was gonna kill you too, John B.” JJ said quickly, before he could change his mind.

John B. looked over at him, confused, before he understood and looked at JJ nervously. JJ kept his eyes locked on the water, paddling out and riding the wave before John B. could get himself together. 

They met back out on the water, waiting for another wave, JJ pretending he hadn’t said anything at all. Like he wasn’t voluntarily opening up about his biggest secret for the second time to John B. on a random Thursday afternoon in January.

“That must have been scary, JJ.” John B. said after a pause and JJ ignored him for a while, hands in the water, flicking it around. He wasn’t even watching for waves anymore and neither was John B.

“When he found out I was trying to call you and said that, that was the scariest thing to me. ‘Cause I knew if that happened I would have failed as a best friend and I’d be all alone.” JJ finally said.

“No, you wouldn’t have. Because someone sick like that would have done it, it wouldn’t have been your fault.” John B. said to him, paddling himself closer through the water to JJ. 

“He would tell me he was gonna cut off my fingers if I didn’t listen. He would hold up his gun to me all the time or to my mom when she was asleep and pretend like he was gonna shoot us. He made me do all sorts of sick shit to him, John B. It’s so embarrassing, I feel like my skin is  _ crawling _ if I think about it. I used to plan how to kill him when he was asleep but I was too much of a pussy to ever even try it. All I would do was cry and do what he said. Anything he said, I would do it. How pathetic is that?” 

The words came tumbling out of JJ’s mouth before he could stop them. He had never told anyone any of this before. He had barely even acknowledged what had been said and done to him to himself.

John B. didn’t answer right away so JJ turned and started to paddle back to the beach, terrified of what he had just revealed. He was sure John B. was going to be disgusted with him, after sharing what a messed up loser he was.

“JJ, wait!” John B. called, paddling after him. He grabbed the end of JJ’s board and JJ turned around.

“No, forget I said that. I’ve got to go. Let go of my board, John B. Please.” JJ said and he tried to turn his board around again.

“No, it’s okay, JJ. You don’t have to go anywhere. And you don’t have to share anything else if you don’t want to. I’m here for you- I’ll listen anytime you want me to. I was just trying to think of what to say.” John B. said.

JJ shook his head and paddled away. “I just need to be alone for a little bit.” 

“Can I come?” John B. said, paddling behind him.

“Then I wouldn’t be alone, John B.” He said over his shoulder to him, voice shaky.

“Good point. Can I still come?” He asked.

JJ couldn’t help but roll his eyes and smile a little bit to himself before answering. “So you still want to hang out with me?”

“What? Duh. I mean you’re annoying as shit, but you’re my best friend. Where are we going?”

JJ let out a deep breath in relief. “I need to go to my cousin’s to stock up. So act cool.”

They got out of the water and pulled their boards in. “I’m sorry, did  _ you _ just tell  _ me _ to ‘act cool’? How else would I act?” John B. said to him.

“Like John B.” JJ answered without hesitation.

“So...cool.” 

“No. I’m cool. Act like a JJ.” JJ said, grabbing his towel to hide his shaky hands. He was on edge and knew he needed to smoke before he could calm down.

“You’re not cool.” John B. said back to him.

“Then why are you friends with me?” JJ asked, trying to push down his anxiety at what had just happened.

“Because you’re JJ.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think almost everyone was in this chapter! And Pope skipped class- yay Pope! We will see how the Mr. C/Kie/JJ thing plays out...if she finds out or if he keeps it between them. I feel bad for the guy!
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Also, you need to read "rotten and paralysed in a tropical paradise" by Youhavetolikebooksifpeopledontlikeyou!!!  
> It's so good and amazing and it's about all of the times the police have failed JJ! Her first chapter is up now! Please check it out if you have time!


	18. Code Red

Almost immediately after JJ opened up on the water to John B, he decided that he was done and would never do it again. The problem was that it wasn't done with him.

He now had all sorts of memories and flashbacks and emotions running through his mind almost constantly and his usual ways of dealing with his feelings and his problems weren’t working as well as they normally did with something of this magnitude. He could barely sleep and he had to smoke more frequently for it to do even half of what it usually did with everything he was feeling. 

Instead of cutting back on stealing like he had told his friends and like they thought he was doing, he had almost doubled the frequency that he was stealing. He was careful about where he did it, avoiding the usual places where Peterkin would be associated and places with cameras. It provided him with a slight distraction, a slight high and a rush of adrenaline, if only for ten or fifteen minutes. 

He was so distracted and so out of touch with what was going on with normal life, that he almost missed their first day rebuilding Mr. C’s dock. He barely made it to the Chateau on time, John B. yelling about how they were going to be late and Mr. C was going to kill them for real this time.

“This blows. Like, seriously? This is what I get for trying to help my friend out? He knows I didn’t do anything, why do I have to fix his stupid dock?” John B. complained as they parked outside The Wreck and walked around the back to assess the dock. 

“That’s what you get for being a dumbass and trying to take the blame.” JJ said, shrugging. He did feel guilty, but he was also relieved to not have to face it alone.

Mr. C had promised that they could come when Kie wasn’t working and that he wouldn’t tell her that JJ had stolen from him, but JJ felt uneasy anyways and didn’t know if he could trust him to keep his word. He tried to tell himself that as long as Mr. C didn’t say why they were fixing it, there was no way she could find out, but he was still anxious.

“I’ll meet you out there in five!” Mr. C called to them from the doorway as they approached. He turned and yelled something inside, pointing at someone and JJ raised his eyebrows, following John B. to the dock to wait. He whistled when he saw the damage. 

“Awesome. This won’t take tens years or anything. Damn, I stole from the wrong dude.”

John B. groaned and threw his head back dramatically when he saw. “Why? Why me? I’m being punished for being a good friend now? Is that it? It’s freezing out. My fingers will literally fall off.” He said to the sky.

“Drama queen.” JJ said to avoid his own feelings of guilt.

“Drama queen? I’m sorry I don’t enjoy rebuilding docks in my free time. You’re the drama queen. You caused this drama.” He said back. “Why aren’t you freaking out about this?”

JJ shrugged slowly, higher than hell, but also depressed. He guessed that was why John B. hadn’t noticed yet.

“Are you high?”

JJ shrugged again, sitting down on the bench near the dock and kicking his feet into the wood. He was surprised it took him so long to notice.

“Damn, share the love, dude. What gives?” John B. said. 

JJ was saved from answering when Mr. C approached them.

“Alright boys, so you’ve seen the situation? The materials are by the dumpsters so go ahead and grab those first. And I’m not totally heartless so I’ll pay you a little each day.” Mr. C said as he came up behind them.

“Thank God!” John B. said right away. JJ looked at John B. like he was crazy and he shrugged back. “What? I’m not turning down money for my labor.”

“Not money.” Mr. C said. “I meant food.”

“Like all you can eat?” John B. asked.

“Can we get an advance then? I’m starving!” JJ added, the smells coming from the restaurant making his stomach growl.

“Look, you’re here for a reason, so no. Not all you can eat and no advances. Show me what you can do first and then we can figure something out.” Mr. C said.

“I didn’t do anything!” John B. reminded them.

“You know why you’re here, John B. You can get started getting the materials. ” Mr. C said. John B. walked away, grumbling and he turned to JJ. “JJ, is tonight good for me to come over and talk to your dad? Is he gonna be home?”

JJ immediately felt more awake and started shaking his head as soon as Mr. C had said the word “dad”. He acted like it was a regular occurrence for him to come to his house and confront his dad.

“No, he’s fine, he doesn’t need help. It’ll just piss him off.”

“Is that how you got that bruise on your cheek? From pissing him off?” Mr. C asked and JJ turned his head to the other side so he couldn’t look at it anymore. His dad had gotten pissed when he ‘made too much noise’ when he was sleeping and had given it to him.

“Um, no. What’d you think this is, some kind of tv show? One of the crazy roosters at John B.’s made me trip and I hit my cheek. You saw how they are. My dad doesn’t do that. He might drink a lot sometimes but he doesn’t hit me.”

Mr. C just looked at him before sighing, realizing JJ wasn’t going to talk. JJ was hoping that he would drop it if he could dodge him enough and keep denying what he thought was happening. That had worked with every other adult who had decided that JJ’s home life wasn’t how it should be. No one had ever followed through after more than one try. 

“Let’s talk about it more next week then, when you guys come back to keep working on it. It’s important to me that you’re safe.” He finally said, but JJ could tell he wanted to buy JJ’s lies. JJ couldn’t blame him. He wanted to buy his own lies.

“No, it’s cool, Mr. C, I’m all good, thanks.” JJ said, already planning how to get out of it. “Can I go help John B?”

“Go for it. Never thought I’d see the day when you were _asking_ to fix my dock.”

“Miracles happen.” JJ said as he turned towards the dock. 

“Yeah, they do. Don’t forget that.” Mr. C said and JJ almost wanted to roll his eyes at how corny it was. He and his dad weren’t going to be a miracle like Mr. C hoped.

Their first session ended pretty quickly after JJ almost hammered a nail into his own hand before John B. shoved him away from the tools, complaining for two hours straight. Mr. C had finally given them shrimp and grits, which had resulted in them getting basically nothing done the entire time. 

Mr. C sent them home.

* * *

Two days later, JJ and Pope were set up at Pope’s kitchen table, books everywhere and JJ tapping his and Pope’s pencils against their books to an annoying beat. JJ waited until he was absolutely sure Heyward was nowhere nearby before bringing up what he wanted to bring up. He was exhausted from being awake every night with flashbacks and nightmares and was desperate to make it all go away, deciding that he needed a solution. Desperate enough to risk asking Pope for some help in the most backwards way he could think of.

“Pope, you know how you said you wanted to help me?”

Pope sat up right away and JJ felt bad for leading him on but he’d been thinking about this for a while and finally had a plan to get some answers to his questions without talking to John B. “Yeah.” He nodded. 

“Could you help me with my cousin? It’s my older cousin, you haven’t met her. But something happened to her a long time ago and she needs help with it. But I don’t know how to and I can’t read for shit obviously to look it up.”

Pope visibly deflated and he felt slightly guilty but JJ figured this way he could get some information on what he wanted to know while still staying under the radar and seeing how Pope felt about the situation.

“Uh, I mean, yeah, sure. You can tell me. What is it? And you can read, JJ. Don’t put yourself down.”

JJ ignored the last comment and thought about how to phrase it. “When she was a kid, I guess her mom had this boyfriend who would like….touch her and make her do stuff to him. If you know what I mean.” He paused, scared to look at Pope, foot tapping against the floor rapidly.

“He sexually abused her.” Pope clarified, looking sympathetic.

“Okay, whatever you want to call it. See? I knew you’d know all the fancy terms.” JJ said, trying to play it down. He put the term in his head to look up when he got a phone again.

“JJ, she needs to report who did that. Did he get arrested? Is she okay?” Pope continued.

“Yeah, he did, he’s not around anymore. But can she get, like, help with that? Or is it always gonna be in her mind, making her do fucked up shit and feel bad?”

“I mean, I have no idea, but I can research it. I know there's a lot of support networks and hotlines she can call. And therapy.” He said, looking at JJ weirdly. “Did she just tell you this? Does she have someone else who could help her? That’s a lot to ask of you.”

JJ panicked, thinking that Pope knew it was him and realizing how stupid he was to ask him. “No, she told me a while ago, it just came up again the other day.”

“Okay, well I’ll look into it. I think she can probably get a lot of help for free.”

“But like, she doesn’t want anyone to know it’s her or really talk about it. So can you see if there’s a way for her to get help or do stuff without talking to people? Maybe there’s some kind of medicine she can take to forget?”

Pope paused, looking at JJ again and JJ tried to throw him off by saying something stupid. “Sorry, dude. She’s been bugging me about it and I told her I have a genius friend that would probably be able to help. I know it’s a girl thing though.”

“A _girl_ thing? To be abused like that? No, it’s not! I honestly don’t know much about this stuff, JJ, but that’s not true. Don’t let Kie hear you say that. Is there anyone else she can talk to? I can google stuff, but it won’t be that different than what she can google.”

JJ’s stomach sunk before he shook his head. “No, she only told me. I guess she doesn’t want to tell anyone else or look it up herself. Anything, you find would be cool though, dude.”

“I’ll check it out, but I really think you should encourage her to talk to someone else besides you.”

“Yeah. Hey, did you know if you study a lot, you can die cause your eyes can’t keep up with your brain or some shit? I swear to god, I saw this show on TV where someone read too much and they died and became a zombie. So, you should stop studying and stuff cause I don’t want you to eat my brains.” JJ said to Pope, switching the subject to avoid the twisting knots of disappointment in his stomach. He definitely wasn’t calling any hotlines or talking to a therapist.

Pope practically rolled his eyes to space and back. 

“So, you want us to stop doing your work, _your_ work, that we haven’t started by the way, so that we don’t turn into zombies and eat each other’s brains?” Pope said to him slowly. 

“No. You got that all wrong. I thought you were a genius, bro. I want _you_ to stop doing work so that _you_ don’t turn into a zombie and eat my brain out. I’m immune. I don’t do work.” JJ said slowly back to him.

“Okay, did you know that if you don’t read because you give up and expect your best friend slash tutor to do it for you, your brain slowly starts to turn into actual mush and you die?” Pope countered, sliding the book towards JJ.

“That’s not true.” JJ said, tipping his chair back on two legs.

“How do you know? I read a lot so I would know. You just said you don’t read, so how do you know?”

“Because they would have said that on TV. Duh.” JJ said, picking up the book and throwing it in the air.

“JJ, don’t throw the book, you dumbass, I just found the page for you! I want to actually get done with your English stuff so it’s not haunting me when I have to do my own stuff later.” Pope said, before he reached up and grabbed it from him.

“Come on, Pope. Don’t you want to just do it for me? I can’t sit here anymore and it would take you like thirty seconds. Think how much time you could have to do your own shit if you did that.” JJ said to manipulate Pope, trying not to smile when Pope got worked up at the idea. He was so predictable.

“Absolutely not! I’m not doing it for you! We’ve been through this. You remember when John B. did that for you last year? That set you back by months! You have to actually do it yourse-”

“Pope, relax, I was joking. You’re so easy to wind up, man.” JJ cut him off. His chair was shoved forward suddenly onto all fours again and he flinched, arm going up to protect his head automatically from the sudden movement.

“Woah, relax, son. I wasn’t trying to scare you, I was trying to fix your chair so you don’t fall back and crack your head open on my kitchen floor. Don’t lean back like that.” Heyward said from behind him and JJ immediately removed his arm, embarrassed to have reacted like that.

He laughed awkwardly, already spitting out a lie about why he did that. “Sorry, John B. always tries to push me over, thought it was him. It’s a reflex.”

Heyward looked unconvinced. “Just me. And my son isn’t doing your work for you. Do it your damn self.”

“Hey, I was just kidding. Can no one take a joke here?” JJ laughed, heart rate struggling to go back to normal.

“Not about school. You better do your work fast because it’s almost time for dinner.” Heyward said to them as he left the room again.

“Damn.” JJ said. “I don’t get it. Why isn’t going to school enough?”

“Maybe because people like you spend the whole school day either asleep or wandering the halls instead of listening in class?” Pope suggested. 

“What else would I do?” 

“Your work?” Pope said.

“Boring.” 

“Not everything’s about having fun, JJ.” Pope said, shoving his worksheet across to him.

“Yes it is. We want to have a fun time, all the time. It’s our motto.”

“Write your name at the top. It’s literally two letters, come on.” Pope said, pointing to where it said ‘name’. 

“I know it’s two letters, Pope. Nice and easy because my parents knew I’d be stupid.” JJ said, not even trying to pretend he was joking.

“Don’t joke about that, JJ.” Pope said.

“I’m not.” JJ answered, looking Pope right in the eyes before looking away. “What do I have to do anyway?”

“You’re not stupid, I’ll say it a thousand times until you stop believing it. You know you’ve made a lot of progress.”

JJ rolled his eyes right as Mrs. Heyward came into the room and put bags of groceries down on the counter. 

“Hey, boys!” She said, smiling at them. JJ hopped up to help her, eager to get away from the conversation and his homework.

“Let me help you with that, Mrs. H. Look, I can put everything away super fast for you. It’s one of my skills.” JJ said, grabbing things from the bags and throwing them into their pantry.

“Wow, thanks, honey.” Mrs. H laughed, going over to the pantry. “But the frozen stuff has to go in the freezer.” She removed a few things and put them in the right place.

“Oops. My bad.” JJ said, not wanting to go back to work with Pope but unsure what else he could do to avoid it. 

“No problem. It’s nice to have a helper around here! You’re a real angel.” Mrs. H said, and Pope snorted loudly.

“Mom, he’s not an angel, trust me. Come on, JJ, you literally have so much work to do.” Pope said, waving his book at him.

“As much as I don’t want to say this, it’s going to have to wait because I got dinner. Your dad’s getting it from the car. Chinese food tonight.” Mrs. Heyward said as Heyward walked in with the bags.

Pope and JJ immediately shoved their stuff into their backpacks, throwing them across the room so they could clear the table.

JJ loved it at the Heyward's.

* * *

JJ vaped on his walk to John B’s after dinner, slowing down when he passed the roosters in the driveway, who watched his bag of food they sent him home with angrily from the entrance to their coop, ready to strike if he made a wrong move. He was happy to see the Chateau all lit up and to see John B. through the window in the kitchen, since he had been mysteriously missing all day. He snuck in quietly and got right behind him before grabbing him. John B. yelled and almost dropped what he was holding, screaming in terror.

“What the fuck, JJ! Don’t do that!” He said angrily, shoving him back as he laughed at him. 

“Hey, don’t push the guy who brought you a free dinner. Chinese food and sweet potatoes from Mrs. H!” He said, putting the bag down on the table for John B.

“Oh, hell yeah! I’m so fucking hungry, I was literally about to eat a PopTart with mayonnaise on it.” John B. said, pulling the food out eagerly.

“Creative. Wait till you have the sweet potatoes. Heyward and Pope were whining about them so we got the whole bowl!” He said. 

John B. grabbed a fork and tried them, gagging immediately. “What’s wrong with them?” He said, getting water to wash his mouth out.

“What do you mean? I don’t get what everyone’s complaining about! I’ll take them.” He offered, taking the bowl from John B. and helping himself.

“Gross. I’m with Pope on that one. Is the Chinese food nasty, too?” He asked, pulling out one of the cartons and peeking at it cautiously.

“If by nasty, you mean fucking amazing, then yes!” JJ said, hopping onto the counter with the potatoes. “So are you finally gonna tell me where you were? They asked, by the way. I just made up some bullshit.”

John B. sat at the table, wolfing down the food before looking at JJ and looking away again. 

JJ scrunched his eyebrows together, immediately on edge from his behavior. 

“What did you do?” He asked him, putting his fork back in the bowl.

“Nothing! I was just busy, okay?” John B. said, avoiding his eyes.

“Doing what? And why didn’t you invite me?” JJ said, even though he had done a shit-ton of stuff all week without inviting John B. But John B. never did that to him. 

“Maybe I’ll invite you next time. But for now, it’s a secret.” John B. said, smirking at him instead.

“Next time?” JJ asked, confused. “What’d you do, join a cult? Why is there a next time? You guys have weekly sacrifices or something?”

“It’s not a cult, JJ. Look, I’ll tell you if you don’t tell anyone else. But if you can’t promise, then it’s staying a secret.” John B. said, leaning back in his chair, shoving orange chicken in his mouth. 

JJ didn’t answer right away, knowing that he should promise and listen but nervous it was about him.

“JJ? Can you promise me or not?

“Not even Pope or Kie?” JJ asked, kicking his feet against the cabinets and twisting the ring from Pope.

“Especially not them.” John B. said, looking back at his food.

“Alright, I promise. Just spit it out, dude. What’d you do?” JJ demanded.

“I didn’t do anything. I mean, not yet. But Ward Fucking Cameron, of all the people on this island, cornered me the other day outside the Island Convenience across from Heyward’s when I was leaving work. And I think he’s got this kind of sketchy shit he’s into and he wants me to help him. He said he can help look for my dad and shit if I help him out. And he’s talking about paying me, like, these crazy amounts of money, too.”

“Wait, _what?!_ ” JJ said, almost spitting out his food in surprise. That was practically the last thing he would have expected John B. to say. “I don’t even know where to start. Ward Cameron? Like, _the_ Ward Cameron?”

“Yeah, the only one we know, JJ.” John B. smiled.

“Father of our worst enemy and the Kook princess, both of Kie’s worst enemies actually, husband of Rose, currently hospitalized with a botched nose job? That Ward?” JJ clarified.

“Yes, JJ. That one.”

“And he wants you to do shifty under the table shit for him? In exchange for helping you find your dad and paying you huge stacks of cash so you can skip your way out of poverty, leaving the rest of us in the dirt?” JJ confirmed, eyebrows raised, fork halfway to his mouth.

“Well, I don’t know for sure if it’s shifty. He wanted to meet me tonight in this random location to talk and he still won’t give details about what I’m supposed to do exactly. But he said if I do a good job with this job, he can get me a permanent job on his yacht.”

“Fuck that! We can use this to blackmail him! Rafe’s dad! This is fucking amazing! Finally, we can get one over on the Kooks. Finally!” JJ said, getting animated. 

“Um, no. We’re not doing that. I need money and to find my dad. I’m not using this as some stupid blackmail plan. This is why I didn’t tell you right away!” 

“Well, obviously use him and his fortune to find your dad. But after that? It’s on. We’ll finally get payback!” JJ said, hopping off the counter. “We’ve gotta plan this out! Hey, can I get in on this? Help your broke friend out.”

John B. grabbed his jacket, pulling him back. He tried not to pay attention to his heart rate as it increased from the sudden movement for the second time that night.

“Wait, JJ. No plans, I need this to work out.” John B. said to him.

“Ok, ok, fine. But can I help? Tell him I’m free, too!”

“No can do, loser. He said it can only be me. He made me promise not to tell anyone or the deal would be off. I crossed my fingers though so I could tell you.” John B. said.

“Aw. You did that for me?” JJ said, reaching for John B.’s cheek to pinch. “Can you at least share your wealth when you become rich and go full Kook?”

“You can live in my pool house.” John B. laughed. 

“You’re totally just doing this so you can mack on Sarah Cameron, aren’t you?” JJ asked him.

“No! I’m with Madison, dude.” 

“Does Madison know that? Cause we all see you doing that creepy stare at Sarah everytime we’re at the Boneyard.” JJ laughed, dodging John B.’s arm when he tried to grab him.

“Shut up, JJ.” 

JJ opened his mouth again but John B. picked up the spoon with the sweet potatoes and lobbed it at him, hitting him in the face. 

“Nope, not another word about Sarah. Shut up and let’s get high. You’ve been holding out on me all week.” John B. laughed when JJ picked up a handful and threw it back at him.

“I hate you.” He said to John B.

“Aw, I hate you, too.” John B. said back, blowing a kiss at him. 

It wasn’t until later that night when JJ was trying to sleep that he realized how _suspicious_ it was that Ward wanted John B. and just John B. to work for him, but the thought left his mind as quickly as it came as he tried to suppress his own demons that came up every night.

* * *

“What are you doing?” Kie’s voice said from behind them the following week when they were fixing the dock. They both jumped up immediately, dropping their tools to the ground, looking guilty.

“Does my dad know you’re fixing his dock?” She said, before her eyes narrowed. “You are trying to fix it, right?”

“How’d you know we were here?” JJ asked, surprised and terrified at the same time.

“Find My Friends. Duh.” Kie said, making a face at them. “Why do you both look like you just got caught committing a murder?”

“Find My Friends? What? I don’t have that.” John B. said.

“Yeah, you do, dumbass. I turned it on on both your phones cause I knew you’d either go AWOL or lose them. Think of it as Find My John B. and JJ.” She said. “Pope doesn’t need it since he’s responsible.”

“Oohlala, Kie. Find _My_ John B and JJ? I’m ready to be found anytime, babe, no phone needed.” JJ said, puckering up and making kissy noises.

She pushed JJ and he stumbled and fell backwards into the railing they were repairing on the dock. It snapped off and he fell into the water, John B. and Kie rushing over to see if he was okay.

“JJ!” Kie cried out and John B. started laughing as soon as he came up for air, spitting out water and gasping from the cold.

“Jesus Christ, Kie! If I had known you were gonna try to murder me, I wouldn’t have said anything!” He said, teeth chattering already as he swam to the ladder to get out. 

“I’m sorry, okay? But you know how I feel about you being a sexist douchebag.” Kie said, laughing a little when he shook off like a dog onto John B.

“Yeah, don’t be a sexist douchebag, JJ.” John B. laughed. JJ walked towards him to grab him so he could get him wet.

“I wasn’t! I just said babe, that’s not sexist! Come here, John B. What are you scared of? Just come a little closer!” He said, chasing him to try to get him towards the opening and shove him in too.

“Hell, no! Get the hell away from me!” John B. yelled, laughing and hiding behind Kie. JJ kept going, dripping onto Kie who pushed him again.

“Really, Kie? Pushing me again? It’s like you want to kill me!” 

“Get me wet and I will kill you!” She said before realizing that she set herself up when he smiled. “Shut up, JJ. You’re disgusting.”

“Yeah, JJ, you’re disgusting.” John B. teased him from behind Kie. 

“I didn’t even say anything! And you think I won’t get you back when Kie isn’t here.” JJ threatened. “I’m freezing, I’ve got to tell your dad I need to go change before I die. Don’t worry, Kie. I’ll tell him all about how you shoved me into the water!”

“Go ahead and tell him. Tell him what you called me first, too. Wait, though. Why the hell are you guys rebuilding my dad’s dock? You didn’t answer. I thought you hated him!” Kie asked, one hand on her hip.

“Your dad pays good.” JJ said, shrugging. “Can I go inside before I get hippothermia?”

“It’s hypothermia, JJ.” Kie said.

“You can’t just ditch me with all the work!” John B. complained.

“I can’t stay here like this!” JJ said, walking backwards towards The Wreck. “It’s just an added bonus to leave you with all the work.” 

“I have the car, JJ! And I’m not giving you the keys. You have no choice but to wait for me!” John B. yelled after him.

“John B, he’ll get sick. Sicker than he already is, I mean. I’ll drive him.” He heard Kie say and he smirked at him.

“Come on! You’re the reason I have to do this!” John B. complained and JJ gave him a look that Kie noticed before he changed his wording. “I mean….I didn’t even want to agree to this!”

“What do you mean he’s the reason? I don’t get why you guys are here. Did Heyward fire you? Last I checked with both of you and my dad, you all hated each other. Why would he ask you guys to do this?” Kie said and JJ tried to keep walking backwards but she followed him instead. 

John B. shook his head at him and mouthed something behind Kie’s back and JJ couldn’t read lips so he shrugged at him so he knew and Kie whipped around. 

“What did you say to him?” She demanded. JJ didn’t think it was a good time to tell her that she reminded him of her dad.

“Nothing. I just called him an idiot. And I stand by it. You can’t even read my lips, JJ. Idiot.” John B. said, shrugging and picking up his hammer.

“I’m gonna go let your dad know, Kie.” JJ said, happy to get away from the situation and also freezing. 

“I’m coming with you.” She said and he barely held in a groan, nervous about them all three being in the same room.

Kie gave them one last look before walking ahead of him. He followed after flipping off John B. from a distance. He laughed when he saw John B. faithfully flip him off from the end of the dock.

“Hey, Dad!” Kie called across the restaurant.

“Kiara? What’re you doing here? JJ? Why’re you all wet? Did the dock break?” He asked, looking between them. JJ had no trust in him that he would keep his promise not to tell Kie and he honestly wouldn’t even blame him. He had been a total dick to him and he probably deserved it.

“Kie pushed me off the dock.” JJ said immediately. He figured he might as well go out with fireworks.

“Kiara? Why would you do that?” Her dad asked her.

“Why are they rebuilding your dock?” She asked her dad instead.

“Because they need to be busy so they don’t have time to hang out with my daughter.” Mr. C said easily and Kie rolled her eyes. 

“That won’t work, Dad. Anyway, I’m gonna drive JJ home or whatever so he can change so he doesn’t get ‘hippothermia’. His words.”

Mr. C immediately looked on edge at the mention of JJ’s house and JJ opened his mouth to tell her that he needed a ride to John B.’s, not home, but was cut off. 

“I don’t want you going over there. I’ll drive you, JJ.” He said.

“What? I’m not a baby, Dad. I don’t have to ask permission to drive my own friend to his house.” Kie argued back. 

JJ immediately felt a flare up of both embarrassment and anger and struggled to push them down. “My stuff is at John B.’s- that’s where I need a ride. I’d walk but I’d die of frostbite and then I’d have to haunt your ass, Kie.”

“You better not haunt my daughter.” Mr. C said at the same time as Kie said. “Don’t talk about my ass, JJ.”

JJ held up his hands in surrender. “Ok, too many Carreras. Kie, can we go or not? I’m literally turning blue here.”

“Funny how it doesn’t make you any quieter.” She said, but she waved bye to her dad and they walked towards the door. JJ looked over his shoulder at Mr. C, but he just told Kie to be careful. JJ was relieved to get away from him early before he could try to talk about helping his dad again.

“Spill, JJ. Why are you and John B. really the ones rebuilding the dock? It’s so random.” Kie said as soon as they were in her car, heat blasting on JJ. 

“We all just told you, Kie. He literally saw us fucking around, offered us $150 each and we got to work. Not everything’s a big secret.” JJ lied, easily. 

“Yeah, but the fact that neither of you mentioned it to me makes it sketchy.” Kie replied.

“There’s literally no sketchiness here.” JJ responded. “Anyways, Boneyard tonight! I’m going to get fucking cross-faded to the heavens and back.”

Kie rolled her eyes but agreed when JJ asked her to stop at his cousin’s house so he could stock up after he changed. As if she wouldn’t be smoking it right by his side later.

* * *

“I can go ninety on my bike, easy. I can pop wheelies and shit, too.” JJ said, leaning one hand against a tree. They were talking to a group of girls who Kie had been friends with in middle school who kept laughing and whispering to each other anytime they were brave enough to answer him and he usually wouldn’t give them the time of day if he wasn’t wasted. 

“No you can’t. That piece of shit can’t even go above thirty-five.” Pope said, laughing drunkenly.

“That’s not true! Back me up, Kie. You’ve been on it. Tell them how fast I can go.” JJ said to Kie. 

“Oh yeah, he goes super fast.” Kie said from her place on a log, voice monotone, one hand under her chin as she watched Sarah Cameron and some other Kooks laughing across the beach.

“Well, can we go for a ride or what, JJ?” One of the girls asked before laughing to her friends. 

“Sure thing, babe. We can go right now.” 

“No you can’t, dumbass. You’re wasted.” Pope reminded him before going to get another beer.

“We can go another time, I promise.” JJ said to the girl before grabbing Kie and pulling her over to their normal group of friends, embarrassed. 

“Kie, you barely had my back! You’re supposed to be my wingwoman!” He complained.

“Where’s John B?” Kie asked, craning her head around to try to find him. “He’s been missing all night!”

JJ shrugged. “Probably doing some weird shit with Madison in the woods.” He said, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Gross, JJ. Speaking of the woods, let’s go smoke the good shit you got.” Kie said, pulling his arm. They stopped near the woods at the edge of the Boneyard. There was only one car parked in the clearing since most people either walked or parked farther away so they wouldn’t be caught, but JJ barely looked twice at it before pulling out his weed and rolling papers.

“You sure you can handle getting cross-faded, Kie? This is prime shit, right here. It’s from Mexico. It’s not for rookies.” He tried to jump back and tripped when she reached out to shove him. “Ow. You’re definitely trying to kill me. Some of the weed spilled!”

“I didn’t even touch you, for the record. Don’t call me a rookie.” Kie said, helping him up and turning her flashlight on to see if she could see it. “That’s just a little. Hurry up and roll it, JJ!”

“Damn, ok! What’s got you in such a rush?” He said, sitting down on a nearby tree stump, focusing on rolling the blunt. He poured too much weed onto the paper and laughed.

“I just hate seeing all of the Kooks from school sometimes. I love the Boneyard, but I hate that they’re all here. It just gets old.”

“Alright, give me a second and they’ll be a distant thought. Damn, this is a fat one.” He laughed as he finished it and made sure it was perfect. He lit it and took a hit before passing it to Kie.

Twenty minutes later, they could barely stand up, laughing at everything. JJ tried to get a piggyback from Kie back to the beach and they both fell to the ground, weak from laughter.

“There you guys are. Oh my god, seriously?” Pope said as he came out of the woods to find them on the ground.

“Help me, Pope!” Kie called from the ground and Pope reached out a hand before being pulled down with them.

“Get off me, JJ!” Pope said, trying to get out of the tangle and failing when Kie tried to pull herself up using him. They were laughing so much and being so loud that they didn’t hear the footsteps until a flashlight was shining in their faces.

“Put your hands up and stand up. Don’t try to run.” A voice said and they all squinted into the light.

They all struggled to get to their feet, faces serious again before JJ and Kie looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“You want some?” JJ asked them and their flashlights went to him immediately.

“You know, there are like fifty teenagers drinking like five hundred feet away. Maybe you should go investigate that?” Kie added to the cops and Pope whispered at both of them to shut up.

The cops didn’t appreciate that and they also didn’t appreciate Pope when he told them he hadn’t been a part of their smoke sesh, which ended with all three of them taken into the station while the police called their parents. 

* * *

“JJ, stop. Stop! Seriously, this is the worst case scenario. I’m going to be murdered by my parents! I’ll never go to college, I’ll never get my scho-” 

“Pope, I say this with love. Please shut up. Talking about it isn’t helping.” Kie said, head tipped against the wall, eyes closed. She had stopped laughing about ten minutes ago, sobered up by the station and the bright lights and the cell. JJ knew the cops put them in there just to scare them, but it had worked on Kie and Pope. They had eventually caught some others from the Boneyard, bringing them in and dragging them past the three of them to other rooms.

It didn’t escape JJ’s notice that none of them were Kooks.

Pope shoved JJ off of him from where he was laughing and trying to tie his and Pope’s shoelaces together, right as the same officer came back and pointed at Pope and Kie. “You two are free to go. Your parents are here.” 

“What about JJ? My parents can take him, too.” Kie said to him, not moving. Pope hesitated, eager to leave, but not wanting to abandon JJ.

“He’s in Sheriff Peterkin’s program, so she’s being called since his parents won’t answer. Let’s go.” The officer said, holding the door open for them.

“Program? I’m not in a program. She just stalks me.” JJ laughed as they walked towards the door without him.

The cop ignored him and Kie turned back and waved at him, laughing a little when he blew kisses at her and Pope. Pope waved and gave him a worried look as they left, mouthing something at him but JJ didn’t know what. He was a little disappointed that they left so easily, but he knew if they weren’t drunk and scared of the holding cell, they would have stayed. 

JJ focused on tying his own shoelaces together since Pope was gone. He was dizzy and eventually gave up and just laid down on the bench, eyes closed. His mind drifted to where in the world John B. was, not used to getting in trouble without him. He had been missing a lot this week, he guessed with his new job with Ward. Or maybe JJ had been missing a lot this week, it was hard to decide.

He fell asleep from boredom, jumping up to the sound of the door opening, confused about where he was. He couldn’t tell how long he had been asleep, but he didn’t think it was too long because he still felt high. Or maybe he was just disoriented.

The same cop from before poked his head through the door. “Sheriff Peterkin says you’re spending the night here and that she’ll take you home personally in the morning.” He threw a water bottle at JJ and he didn’t catch it in time so it hit the bench and rolled away. He felt panic rise up despite his high.

“No, wait, what? Can I talk to her? I didn’t even do anything, why do I have to spend the night here?” JJ said, trying to get up to go towards him.

“She’s probably asleep, kid. It’s three in the morning now. You’ll be fine for three or four more hours. Sleep it off.” He said, pulling back and closing the door. 

JJ started to feel anger pulse inside him, something that had been dulled by his high and being drunk and being with his friends. As he sobered up, he realized what Peterkin might do to him for failing her ‘program’. He got pissed at himself for not being more careful and for fucking up yet again, but he was more pissed at how unfair it was.

He laid down and kicked the wall beside the bench repeatedly with his feet, almost hoping his dad would come before Peterkin could get the chance to come in and take him there herself. All he had done was have fun with his friends and now he was in a cell. He was also jealous of them getting to leave while he had to spend the night, even if deep down he knew there were valid reasons for it and he didn’t necessarily _want_ to go home to get the shit beaten out of him. 

He couldn’t sleep, too angry and worked up, alternating between kicking the wall and sitting up and tapping his foot anxiously, hands in his hair. 

The door finally opened what felt like days later and Peterkin stared at him, one eyebrow raised. He aimed one last kick at the wall before sitting up, trying to organize his angry thoughts before she could talk.

“Save it. You’ve had too many chances now. I don’t want to hear any excuses. Do you know how easy I went on you? And you messed it up after a few weeks? Not very smart, tough guy.” She said, before he could talk.

“You don’t understand, Sheriff Peterkin! I didn’t do anything wrong this time! I’m in here just because I was doing what everyone else was doing!” He said, desperate for her to hear him out. 

“So, you didn’t have an entire half ounce of weed on you and you weren’t drinking and smoking last night?” She said back.

“You’re not listening to me! Everyone was doing it! It’s literally what we’re supposed to do! Why am I the only one who had to stay here all night?” JJ said angrily.

“Because you’ve got to take some accountability for your actions. And we’re gonna start this morning with you explaining yourself to your daddy. You had your chances and you blew them. And we’ll see where this leaves you after we talk to him.” She answered, gesturing for him to follow her.

He didn’t move. “He’s not gonna give a shit. He’ll just be pissed to have a cop at his house.” He was terrified that she was going to find a way to send him to juvie.

“He’ll be real ‘pissed’ when he starts getting charges for all the things you’ve stolen, I can promise you that. You think he’s gonna care when he has to pay up and show up to court for you? Because I haven’t met a parent who didn’t care then, believe me.” Peterkin answered.

“I didn’t steal anything recently! You told me to work and go to school and I am! You never said anything about weed or anything like that! Everyone does that!” JJ said, even though he had done nothing but steal all week. He was sure she didn’t know about that.

“See, part of growing up is that things you did three weeks ago, a month ago, two months ago, they have a habit of catching up with you. And consequences. And if you let them build up and get out of control, you’ve got a big explosion coming your way eventually. Like a volcano. It doesn’t matter what it was, it matters that you shouldn’t have been doing it.” She said. “So, let’s start to face the music.” 

JJ’s eyes were darting back and forth between his feet and the door, mind racing to come up with a way out of this. 

“Let’s go, chief.” Peterkin said, tone more forceful. He stood up and followed her angrily, hands in his pockets. 

They stopped at the front desk to get his stuff, him making a big show of going through his bag and accusing the cop behind the desk of stealing cash from him just to be difficult.

“We don’t take money from bags, kid.” The cop answered, looking amused. 

“What, did my twenty bucks just get up and walk away? I had it in here last night when you guys kidnapped me!” He said before Peterkin cut him off as the cop laughed. 

“If it turns up, you’ll be the first one we call.” She said, going towards the door. “Let’s roll.” 

They went outside, walking towards her patrol car. JJ was surprised she wasn’t staying closer to him and looked around before making a split second decision when she turned her back to open the back car door for him.

He turned and booked it through the parking lot and across the street, almost getting hit by a car, ignoring how bad of an idea it was and how stupid it was to run away from her and all of his problems. He jumped over a fence and started racing through backyards before he could think it through.

He wasn’t getting into her car willingly, he knew that much.

He ran straight for the woods as soon as he saw them, knowing that her car couldn’t follow him there. He kept running for a few minutes, not even sure where he was before he finally stopped, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. He could see the road through the trees and he hid behind one when he heard a motor, peering out to see Peterkin’s blue SUV cruising slowly down the road. 

He waited until she was gone before continuing deeper into the woods in the opposite direction. As he kept walking, he realized how stupid he was to have run from her. He had no phone, it having been turned off by the phone company since he couldn’t pay the bill. He had no money and no weed. And he couldn’t even go to a store to steal or his friend’s houses without risking being found, especially since Peterkin would be sure to check all of their houses.

JJ briefly debated whether he should try to get off the island and just run away for a few days until he figured out a better plan, but decided he couldn’t survive without his friends and he didn’t actually want to go to the mainland alone. 

He kept walking, trying to figure out where he was so he could head for the treehouse. He could hardly believe his luck when he saw a familiar car on the road. He rushed through the trees to get back to the road.

He jumped into the road to stop John B. from driving, almost getting hit when he slammed to a stop, brakes screeching. 

“Holy shit, JJ!” He said through the window. JJ ran to the back of the car and jumped in. “Where did you come from?”

“John B, step on it! Kie, Pope and I got taken in last night, I’m sure they texted you! And now Peterkin is trying to take me home and then put me in juvie so I ran. Drive!” He yelled, crouching down low in the backseat. 

“Wait, what?! You guys got taken in? Madison and I barely avoided that last night, it was crazy! Peterkin is after you? Holy shit, what do we do? Why would you run from her?!” John B. yelled back, stepping on the gas.

“I can’t go to juvie, John B! She’s gonna take me away and lock me up! What else could I do? I can’t go there, bro, I really can’t! I’d die.” He said, peeking out the windows for any sign of her or other cop cars. 

“Shit, shit, shit. Okay, so you’re a fugitive. We can figure it out, I’m sure she isn’t gonna send you there. She wouldn’t do that over some beers on the beach. Maybe we should go back and talk to her?” John B. said, driving slowly down the road.

“No!” JJ said, reaching for the handle to jump out. “I’m not going back there!”

“Wait, JJ! Holy shit, don’t jump out of the car, it was just a suggestion. Chill the fuck out! I don’t know what to do!” John B. said, pushing the door lock button just in case.

“Let’s go to the mainland for a few days? Until we can figure it all out? You got any money?”

“I can’t leave, JJ! Then we’ll both be in trouble and I won’t be able to help you either. I’m being watched by her too, remember? And I’ve got that thing with Ward.” John B. said, turning onto his street. 

“You can’t go home, John B! I’m sure she’s there now! Turn around!” JJ said, crouching lower as they got closer.

“Shit!” John B. said, stopping the car and running his hands through his hair. “Look, you go to the treehouse and I’ll meet you there later and we can come up with a plan, okay? It’s the only place she won’t look. I’ll meet you in an hour, okay? Don’t do anything crazy.” 

“Too late.” JJ said, pulling the door open and hopping out.

“I’m gonna text Pope and Kie, too, okay? This is definitely a code red!” John B. called to him as he drove off.

That was the understatement of the year. His whole life had become a code red.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot will be going down in the next few chapters! There's a secret reason why JJ, Kie and Pope were found and arrested. And JJ will be struggling as a fugitive before facing the music!
> 
> If you haven't read "rotten and paralysed in a tropical paradise" by my friend, youhavetolikebooksifpeopledontlikeyou, you should go read it! It's about all of the times the police failed JJ.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Have a good week!


	19. Last Day on Earth

JJ was sitting in the treehouse, drinking an old, stale beer so he had something to focus on, when he heard noises outside. He froze, terrified that it wasn’t John B. and that he was going to be caught before he had even gotten away. He didn’t know how long it had been since he had dropped him off, but it felt like hours had passed.

“JJ!” He heard John B. whisper loudly from below. “It’s me. I’m coming up!”

JJ didn’t know why he had to say all of that and risk being heard but he was excited to see him when his face popped through the opening. He was struggling with a bag, shoving it over his head and inside before squeezing in himself. 

“I brought some shit.” John B. said, as if that wasn’t obvious. “Camouflage, food and water. And my old walkie talkies. I think they’ll still work between here and my house.”

“Sweet, thanks bro.” JJ asked, opening the bag to look. If he wasn’t so nervous, he would have rolled his eyes when he saw the same black sweatshirt and sweatpants that John B. always wore when they did sneaky shit. He never seemed to realize that black stood out unless it was dark.

“Change into that, JJ. I’m sure Peterkin told everyone what you’re wearing.” He said seriously. “She came to my house already. That’s why I’m late.”

“Shit, she did? What’d she say? What happened?” JJ asked, pulling off his jacket and pulling on the sweatshirt. He squatted weirdly in the tight space to change pants.

“Well, she’s pissed. She searched my whole house just to be dramatic, even though I told her you weren’t there and I hadn’t seen you. She just threatened me and said if I was lying or helped you hide, then I’d be in the same situation as you. But I think it’s bullshit. Oh and she basically has an APB out on you so all the other cops are looking.” John B. said, arms around his knees as he watched JJ.

“What the fuck. She threatened you? You didn’t even do anything! Did she say what she was gonna do to me?” He asked once he was dressed.

“Does she ever? She kept it vague but I think you’re gonna have to turn yourself in to her. There’s no other option, JJ.”

"That’s not my only option, bro! We haven't even tried to plan! I can go the mainland for a little bit until she calms down. I can try to stay with my cousin, he’s deep enough in the Cut that she won’t know he’s back there. I can hide with you or hide here!” JJ said, frustrated that John B. wasn’t on board.

“Yeah, but JJ, I meant an actual plan. Everything you said is just putting off the inevitable. You’re fifteen. You really think you can avoid the cops for the rest of your life? She’s not gonna calm down, she’s a cop!” John B. answered, gesturing at him like he was stupid.

“Maybe I can work under the table around here and get money for a lawyer to get her off my case.” JJ mumbled, but it sounded stupid even to himself.

“Do you want me to talk to her for you first? And see if I can find out her plan? I mean, did she even say she was actually sending you to juvie? What happened?” 

“She was trying to make me ‘explain myself’ to my dad and shit and then said we’d see where that left me. It’s so obvious that she’s gonna make me go!” JJ said, freezing when he heard a twig snap below. He peeked through a crack in the wood and saw a squirrel. He lowered his voice as he continued. “What else could she do to me? I already failed her program or whatever.”

“Shit, I don’t know, maybe community service or something? I mean, I’m pretty sure you can’t go to juvie just for smoking weed and drinking. That’d be insane!” John B. whispered back.

“It wouldn’t be for smoking and drinking. It’d be for all of the fucking shit we stole! She held back the evidence but she can reveal it and I’m in deep shit!” He said urgently. He desperately needed to smoke. 

“Shit! Why’d you run away from her, then? This literally has no happy ending.” John B. said to him.

“Gee, thanks for the positivity, dude. That’s my life you’re talking about.”

“I meant the situation, JJ. Not your life. I told you not to carry so much weed on you all the time! A half ounce is way too much, it’s a douchebag move.” He said to him.

“I like to get a lot at once, it’s not a douchebag move. I didn’t see you complaining before now.” He said, scooting to lean back against the wall. “Speaking of it, can you score me some? I need it so much right now.”

“I’m sorry. I thought you just asked me to go score you some weed when the whole island is probably on alert, looking for you right now. The smell would lead them right to you, too.”

“Okay, Pope.” JJ replied.

“I’m not, Pope, dumbass. I’m not risking driving around with weed right now, especially when the cops are gonna be looking at me! It won’t help if we’re both in the same situation.” John B. said.

“Aw, you don’t want to go to juvie with me? It’d be like going to camp. We never got to do that when we were kids.” JJ said, focusing on teasing John B. to try to distract from the twisting in his stomach.

“I’d go with you if you did.” John B. said and JJ had to look away from how serious he was.

“Don’t be an idiot, dude.” He said, swallowing a lump in his throat.

“I’m not. I’m not saying I want to, I’m just saying if you do, I do. I stole that shit too.” John B. answered. “Should we call Pope and Kie and let them know where you are?” He pulled his phone out. 

“No! I mean, you can let them know that I’m cool, but I don’t want to talk to them right now. They won’t understand, they’ll both just tell me to turn myself in.” JJ said.

John B. stayed silent and made a face that JJ would have wanted to punch if he hadn’t just said he would go to literal juvie with him to keep him company.

“John B, I would punch you if you didn’t just say you would go to juvie with me.” He said.

“What? What did I do?”

“That face you’re making. That ‘I agree with Pope and Kie and I’m going to say it with my face’ face. Stop, bro. I’m doing the best I can.” JJ answered.

“Hey, I didn’t actually _say_ anything! I’ve got to split, I don’t want to be missing for too long and I’ve got a shift at Heyward’s. I’ll come back tonight with some more shit, but I’ll walkie you when I get back from work. Don’t leave this spot.” John B. said, sliding over towards the opening and peeking down to check that the coast was clear.

“John B!” JJ whispered as John B. started to climb down. They didn’t have a real ladder, just some random things to balance on, so you kind of had to hang from a half ripped rope and then drop. 

“What, JJ? I’m about to drop!” 

“Deny, deny, deny.” JJ whispered to him and John B. tried to salute him but ending up losing his grip on the rope and falling eight feet to the ground. He moaned before JJ poked his head down.

“You cool, bro?” He whisper-called to him.

John B. answered by flipping him off and walking away slowly, hiding behind trees and peering out before disappearing from JJ’s view.

JJ felt extremely alone and anxious as soon as he disappeared from view and didn’t know what to do with himself. He knew he _should_ wait in the treehouse like John B. said, but he was never someone who could sit still and stay in one place, especially without weed or anyone to talk to. 

He lasted twenty minutes before he climbed down, copying John B.’s technique of hiding behind the trees to look out before he took what he knew was the most hidden route to his cousin’s house, deep in the Cut to see if he could score some free weed. He kept his hood up and stayed hidden in the trees, hiding behind them at the slightest sound of a car on the nearby road.

* * *

“Look, JJ, you’re my little cuz, man, and I say this with love. Get the fuck off my property.” Jordan said to him, not opening the door for him. Jordan was usually laid back and thought everything was funny, but he was also a Maybank and the child of Luke’s crazy sister so he could be intimidating when he had to be. It’s part of what made him such a popular dealer.

“Come on, Jordan. Can I just get a gram? Shit, I’ll even take half a gram at this point! I’m good for it, I’ll pay you back, I swear! I’m dying without it, man.” JJ begged, no shame anymore.

“You’re not getting shit! Get out before I make you get out. I love you, but the fucking cops came here looking for you and that is not good for my business. Jail is not part of my life plan. So, good luck and get the fuck off my porch.” Jordan said, slamming the door as JJ tried to answer him.

JJ kicked the railing to his porch and heard Jordan yell at him to leave from inside so he hopped down the four steps from his porch and went back into the woods. He stopped and cried behind a tree for a few minutes, even if he would never admit it. He wasn’t used to not having weed and on top of everything that was going on, he couldn’t handle it. He felt everything when all he wanted was to feel nothing.

He finally made it back to the treehouse, and he practiced his skill of crushing beer cans against his head when he ran out of all other options. It made his head hurt and he laid down, bursting with anxious energy as he waited for John B. to walkie him. He tried to eat some of the food he had brought him, but his stomach was churning so he tried to plan what he could do instead. 

It was dark by the time JJ finally heard a noise from below. He sat up, peering out through the crack, met with just black sky and woods. He stayed still as he heard someone coming up into the treehouse and hid under the blanket slightly.

“It’s me, JJ.” John B. said and he let out a deep breath, uncovering himself with the blanket. “Finally shook off Kie and Pope, but they’re pissed.”

“I’m sure they are.” He said. He was pissed too.

“We need a plan. The longer you drag this out, the worse it will be. We’ve got school in the morning, too. Missing that will make it worse for you.”

“I’m sure they’ve got school in juvie.” JJ said back. “You know where they don’t have school though?”

John B. looked at him through the dark and JJ couldn’t make out his expression. 

“Yucatan.” JJ concluded.

“Yucatan? Like in Mexico, Yucatan?” John B. said back and JJ knew it was a lost cause by his tone. He pushed it anyways, out of options.

“Yeah, I guess it’s in Mexico, but that’s not important. I’ve got it all planned out, man! We can go there and catch lobsters with our bare hands! And they’ve got weed, lots of it. Surf is great, too. And it’s dirt cheap there, we can work on boats and shit. We could leave tonight!” JJ pushed, wrapped up in his fantasy.

“So, your plan is to what? Run away, sneak over the border and live in Mexico forever? What about our friends? What about my dad? Your grandma? Our lives?” John B. said to him.

“Not forever. Just until this blows over!” JJ said, but he lost some of his spark at John B.’s attitude. He usually wouldn’t let it get to him, he was used to convincing John B. into his dumb plans but after last night and his first day in hiding, he couldn’t maintain his enthusiasm as well.

John B. rubbed his hands over his face before trying to steal the blanket from JJ who pulled it back aggressively. _He_ was the one who had been outside all day in January. John B. didn’t need it. 

“Do you have any other ideas that don’t involve us leaving the country? You’ve been here all day and this is the best you came up with?” He asked JJ.

“It’s a great plan! Come on, dude! There’s no winter there, that’s for sure! Think about all the hot girls, too!” JJ said, scooting closer to get his point across.

“I’m with Madison. And we have lives here, JJ. We’re not going to Yucatan.” John B. answered.

“Okay, hear me out, okay? We can slip onto the ferry and-”

“No, JJ. Hear _me_ out! Today was horrible! Everyone’s looking for you. I had the whole Heyward family on my back all day! I had Peterkin searching my house! Kie and Pope were on my case about telling them where you are and how we aren’t treating them like friends by hiding it. And tomorrow, it'll be even worse because everyone knows about this. Everyone! It’s not the time for some fantasy, we need a solid plan.” John B. snapped, kicking his feet out. They hit JJ and he kicked him back. John B. had been able to walk around all day, he didn’t need space. 

“Hey, how do you think it feels to be me? I’m the one who’s on the run here! I’m a straight up fugitive!”

“And who’s fault is that?” John B. said and JJ felt slightly betrayed, but pushed it off. 

“Did my dad show up yet?” He asked him instead.

“That dude didn’t come to my house if that’s what you're asking. Peterkin went there after my house though, so he knows.”

“Shit. She’s the worst.” JJ complained. His dad would kill him just because the cops were at their house, not even because of what he had done.

“I mean, you are fifteen and technically on the run. And he’s your dad. She had to tell him.”

“Well, what’s your plan, John B? Cause I can’t stay up here in this tiny ass treehouse much longer. I’m dying. I need weed and I need to be able to feel my fingers again.” JJ said, ignoring him.

“My plan is for you to either turn yourself in or stay here for a few days while I try to plan with Pope and Kie.” John B. said before pulling out a bag of candy from his pocket. “Here. It’s not weed, but it might help.”

“Is this the candy from your twelfth birthday party? The kind we all hated because it tasted like metal?” JJ asked, checking the bag.

“It’s all I could bring, JJ.” 

“Can you text Jaden and get me some weed at school tomorrow?” JJ begged, opening up a piece of candy and almost breaking his tooth off.

“I can’t promise anything, JJ. I’ll walkie you, okay? Use it if you need me before then.”

* * *

“John B? Are you there or are you too busy drooling over-” JJ was cut off almost immediately by answering static the next afternoon. He was starving and needed water and had been alone since the night before.

He had been awake all night, his day without weed hitting him hard. He had been having worse insomnia than ever and his body and mind were restless from being alone and on guard in the treehouse.

The walkie talkie blared static for a minute and he heard some strange noises before Peterkin’s voice came through. “If you know what’s good for you and your friend here, you’ll be at my station by Wednesday. Or he’s going to be facing the music all alone and it will be a lot worse for you.” 

JJ dropped the walkie talkie in shock before picking it up, peering outside through the cracks in case she had someone else listening for him in the woods.

“You can’t do that, he didn’t do anything. Don’t listen to her, John B!” He said, knowing he was making it worse, but unable to stop himself. 

“He’s helping you hide, that’s a crime.” Peterkin said back and he knew she was lying. What he did was barely even a crime. Actually, he was sure it wasn’t since he hadn’t even actually been under arrest when he ran. Or maybe he had been. He didn’t know. But he did think that she was talking a big game. He doubted if their island wasn’t so small, that anyone would be looking for some dumbass teenager who ran from the Sheriff. Everyone was bored with it being winter and the tourist industry basically halted.

He didn’t answer, putting the walkie talkie on the other side of the treehouse before pulling the blanket over him again, hood up. He was freezing and wanted to go back in time. The only good thing was he had been so distracted with this situation that he hadn’t been thinking about his other problems as much during the day. Night time was a whole other story. 

“Wednesday. Don’t be stupid.” Peterkin said through the walkie after a minute and JJ glared into the treehouse. What else could he be?

* * *

What felt like days, weeks or years later, the walkie talkie finally blared up with static before John B.’s voice came through. JJ grabbed it immediately, sitting up.

“JJ? Over.” 

JJ rolled his eyes and smiled before pushing the button to answer. “JB? I’m dying here, man. When are you coming? Is Peterkin gone?”

There was no answer so JJ pushed the button again and said, “Dumbass. Over.” John B. always made them say ‘over’.

“I literally cannot believe you two stupid, dumb, irresponsible, idiots!” Pope’s voice took over and JJ froze. “JJ, go to the station right now and turn yourself in! Hang on, Kie!” It went silent before blaring up again. “Kie says they’re even looking for you on Figure Eight and to turn yourself in, too. It’s been two days!”

JJ hesitated before pushing the button to answer. “You guys don’t understand! She wants to send me to juvie! John B, don’t listen to them, dude. Or Peterkin. Over.”

He heard static on and off and he guessed the three of them were fighting for the walkie and kept hitting the button before Kie’s voice won. “JJ, if you don’t come back now, it’s gonna get worse! You’ll have to spend more time there if she’s trying to send you. Besides, maybe we can get you a lawyer or something!”

JJ bit his lip before answering Kie. “With what money, Kie? I can’t come back.”

“We can figure it out, JJ! Ow, get off me, Jombay!” Kie said and JJ almost smiled at that when he heard John B. make a loud groan before Kie kept talking.

“JJ? Just come-” Her voice was cut off as the walkie talkie either died or lost the signal. JJ pushed the button a bunch of times, to no avail. The walkie talkies were from third grade, but it was just so fitting to his life that they would die the one time they really needed them. 

He dropped it next to him, hoping that John B. would be able to break away from them and come to the treehouse like he had promised. It was dark and cold and he pulled the cold blanket around him as his teeth started to chatter. 

Two hours later, John B. still hadn’t shown up and JJ decided to risk climbing out of the treehouse and sneaking through the pitch black woods in the direction of his house when he decided it was late enough. His fingers were freezing, he needed to shower and he was starving and thirsty. He hadn’t left the treehouse in those two days except to go to the bathroom in the woods, unless he was lazy and peed off the side of it.

When he got to the trees by John B.’s house, he waited and watched for what felt like thirty minutes to him, but was probably only five minutes. He checked all around for any signs of Peterkin or any other cars watching the house, before realizing that he wasn’t an actual convict and that that would be a ridiculous waste of resources. He walked over to John B.’s window and slid it open, crawling in.

John B. wasn’t in his room and JJ had no idea what time it was but he listened and heard the TV and movement in the kitchen. He smelled something good and went out when he was sure it was just John B.

He laughed when he saw him trying to cook noodles.

“John B, don’t freak out.” He said, laughing when he yelled and whipped around, spilling hot water on the floor.

“Oh my fucking god, JJ! Don’t do that!” He said, slamming the pot down and wiping up the water. “I almost burned my foot off!”

“Sorry, dude. There’s no easy way to come in without scaring you.” He said, smile fading already.

“You can’t be here, JJ! Peterkin’s serious. Who knows when she’ll be back! I was making this shit to bring to you, go wait for me!”

“Aw, you made me dinner? Who needs anyone else when you have a Jombay.” JJ said, ignoring everything else he said and hopping up onto the counter. He looked at the clock on the oven and was shocked when it said it was 6:37. It felt like he had been in the treehouse for hours since the sun set.

“JJ, get out! You’re gonna get us both caught!” John B. said, shoving him with one hand while he looked for a strainer.

“I’m freezing out there, dude! I need to stay here, just for tonight! I’ll sleep in your closet or some shit. I just can’t go back out there, my fingers are numb!” JJ said, holding his hands over the flame on the stove.

“You can’t, JJ! Seriously, you’ve got to go back, I’ll be there soon with the food and I’ll bring another blanket. But you can’t stay, it’s too risky!” John B. answered.

JJ wanted nothing more than to be able to make this whole thing disappear and to just sit on the stupid pullout and watch stupid shit on TV with John B. again. It wasn’t fair, all he had done was smoke weed with Kie and now he was on the run.

“Come on, John B, I’ll hide. No one will know.” He tried again, but he knew it was hopeless.

“You don’t get it, JJ. People keep coming to my house. Your _dad_ showed up earlier! Peterkin shows up everyday. It can’t happen.”

“My dad showed up?” JJ said, stomach twisting, embarrassed at what might have happened. 

“Yeah. I wasn’t gonna tell you, but you need to know that you can’t stay unless you want to be caught.”

“What’d he say?” JJ asked, twisting the ring from Pope and kicking his feet against the cabinets again nervously.

“Honestly? That he was gonna beat the shit out of you when they found you. He said it just to be a fucking dick. I didn’t even open the door for him, he just pulled up wasted, almost hit Kie and said it through the door to me. I think he wanted me to fight him or some shit.” John B. said and JJ’s heart skipped several beats.

“The real Kie? Fight him? Did he leave?” He asked quickly.

“The rooster. And no, I just told him to fuck off and to shut up and that if he touched you, I’d get him back and he left after a few minutes. He’s a loser, JJ.” 

“Don’t say shit like that to him, John B!” JJ said, freaked out.

“He deserves it. But you’ve got to go, bro. I’ll be there soon, I promise.” John B. said.

“Can I just shower? I’m not joking about my fingers.”

“No, JJ. How can I explain that if someone comes while you’re in there? I’ll be there in thirty, go get a head start.” John B. said and JJ got up slowly, stealing John B’s favorite winter hat from the chair, running when he yelled at him.

* * *

JJ shot up when he heard crunching leaves sometime the next day. He was freezing, but John B. had brought another blanket like he had promised and some gloves so he felt a little better. The worst thing was the boredom and his endless restless energy and anxiety. He was at the point where he had tried to read his school book in his bag, but he just felt the familiar shameful feeling swelling up when he couldn’t get past the first paragraph.

He heard someone below and peeking out, sure that he had been found and was about to be taken in. He didn’t see anyone, but heard movement on the makeshift ladder and rope. He slowly scooted backwards, pulling his hat low over his face and covering himself with the blanket.

“JJ?” He heard a voice hiss into the treehouse.

“Kie?” He said, sitting up and throwing the blanket off of him. Her head popped through, black hat on her head before she pulled herself all the way up. 

“I am _so_ pissed at you.” She said to him when she got up, awkwardly trying to find a way to sit in her uniform skirt before grabbing the blanket from JJ and pulling it over her legs.

JJ honestly didn’t know why Kie would be super pissed at him unless her dad had told on him so he stayed quiet, foot nervously tapping against the wood of the wall.

“It makes me so _mad_ when you do stuff like this, I don’t get it. Just turn yourself in and hear what Peterkin has to say. You ran away before she even told you her plan and you know she’s gonna catch you and it’s gonna be worse. Why would you do that? I knew I shouldn’t have left the station that night without you.” Kie said, crossing her arms.

“Yeah, well, get in line, Kie. Everyone’s pissed at me. How’d you know I was here? John B. said he wouldn’t snitch. Liar.” JJ said back.

“Don’t worry, he’s not a liar. The dumbass wouldn’t say anything. I figured it out when I realized that you had to be close if walkie talkies were working and then I remembered this shithole. Now, answer my question.”

“What question? Why am I squatting in some treehouse like a pathetic loser? Because I have no options, Kie. I’m broke as shit, my dad’s not gonna help me with any of this and honestly, I can’t stop stealing. I like it, it feels good. I can’t stop smoking weed either or drinking with you guys. So, I don’t know what to do. I can’t change, going to juvie won’t change me. All I could do was get away to think.” He said.

She was silent for a few seconds, hand pulling on the frayed end of the blanket. “I just don’t understand why you always reject help, JJ.” Kie said. 

“I’m not rejecting help, Kie. I just can’t be helped. There’s a difference.” He finally said. 

“How is there a difference? You thinking you can’t be helped is you rejecting help.” She said to him. 

“Kie, I’m way too tired for this shit. I can’t sleep. I’ve barely eaten and I can’t get high. I can’t talk about heavy shit right now. Okay? I love you, but damn. There’s a reason I didn’t tell you where I was.”

She stayed quiet for a second and JJ could tell she wanted to argue with what he had said but was holding back. She eventually said, “It’s freezing out here and you kind of smell like ass.”

He laughed a little bit before sniffing himself dramatically. “Maybe because I’ve been in here for three days without showering? And I’m wearing John B.’s shit so who knows when he washed it before he gave it to me.”

“True. That boy is nasty. Want to sleep inside tonight? I can sneak you into my room. I hate thinking about you out here alone all night.” She offered and JJ opened his mouth, already ready to joke about it. “Shut up. Offers gone if you make _one_ innuendo.”

JJ was torn between wanting to actually sleep inside, able to potentially think about something other than how freezing he was and all of the fucked up shit that had happened to him in his life or being caught by Kie’s parents in their house. In their daughter’s room, no less.

“Nah.” He finally said. “Your parents would literally kill me if they caught me. They’d tie me up and skin me alive. And then they’d call the cops on me.”

“Obviously I said 'sneak' for a reason, JJ. They won’t see you.”

“You sure? Let it be on the record that you invited me into your room first, in case I’m caught.” JJ said, laughing when she kicked him.

Seven long hours later, JJ was hovering on Kie’s porch roof, trying to figure out how to subtly sneak up to her room without being seen. Despite her promises of her parents not noticing, they had all of their blinds up and every room in the house lit up, even though it was almost midnight. JJ laughed to himself and had to look away when he realized he was next to the bathroom window and almost witnessed Mr. C getting out of the shower. He didn't need that mental image.

“Hurry up, JJ! Climb up! My parents are right by that window!” Kie whispered from above, looking down on him as he tried to climb up. 

Red and blue lights started flashing from a car that had been driving down her road and they heard the siren of a police car. JJ froze, one hand on the next part of the roof to pull himself up to Kie’s window, the other on his backpack strap. 

“Freeze! Don’t move!” The cop yelled up at him, opening his car door and getting out. He ran over to the house, flashlight on JJ.

They heard him call for backup and JJ looked up at Kie before he heard another window open next to where he was standing. 

“Whoever’s there, get off our roof! We’re armed!” He heard Mr. C say so he had no choice but to reveal himself and that he was shimmying up into his daughter’s room in the dead of the night. 

“Wait, don’t shoot! It’s me, Mr. C! It’s JJ!” He said, turning and looking down at the approaching cop before scooting over towards the edge of the roof. 

“JJ? What the hell are you doing on my roof? I almost shot you! That’s why the cops are here?” He heard him say before he paused. “Hang on. You’re trying to sneak into Kiara’s room? Maybe I should shoot!”

JJ didn’t know if he was joking or serious and didn’t want to find out. The cop below was out of shape and trying to shine his flashlight on him to figure out how to catch him but JJ just jumped onto the lower part of the roof before hopping down to the ground below and running into the dark yards of Kie’s Kook neighbors and booking it to the woods. 

Now he could add getting caught trying to sneak into Kie’s room to the list of why he needed to stay hidden. 

* * *

JJ laid low the entire next day, but by night time, his life was upheaved again.

He was leaving the convenience store on the deepest part of the Cut four days and three nights into his run as a fugitive when he was slammed into a wall against the side of the building. 

He had been stupid and let his guard down, pushing his hood off as he ripped open a bag of stolen chips with his teeth. It was the first time he had dared to go into a store, but he knew the place was shady and on the outskirts of the island and he hoped that it was late enough that no one would be looking at him twice with his hood up. 

John B. hadn’t been able to come at all that day, claiming that Peterkin was hanging out near his house, watching him after what had happened with Kie and he was finally starving enough to risk going to the store. He instantly regretted it when he realized who he had run into.

“What a surprise! The fuck-up everyone’s talking about, outside this piece of shit store! You know everyone’s looking for you on the whole island?” He heard Rafe’s voice say. 

He felt hands pinning him against the wall and he struggled hard to get away. He hated being restrained more than anything. He shook his head to clear it from the impact and saw Rafe and Kelce in front of him.

“Get the fuck off me before I kill you. Both of you.” He said angrily, trying to push Kelce off him.

“Woah, where’s this coming from? We just want to talk. You’re talking about murder now? Maybe I should call the cops, it’s really not safe for us if you’re walking around the island like that! You’re dangerous, JJ.” Rafe said to him.

JJ stayed quiet, not wanting to make it worse, but refusing to ask him not to.

“You know, I wanted to tell you something. I’m the reason you guys got taken in in the first place. I saw you and Kiara and figured I should help you out. Well, I was really trying to help her. She shouldn’t be associated with you. But you getting taken in was an added bonus.” Rafe said to him.

When he heard that, he couldn’t even speak, he was so angry. The idea that Rafe was the reason all of this was happening to him was too much to handle. 

“You...I can’t... _fuck you_!” JJ said, struggling to find the right words.

The next thing JJ knew, he was seeing stars when something smashed into his face from Rafe’s direction.

“That’s payback for almost breaking my nose and for trying to blackmail me, JJ, you stupid, broke piece of shit!” Rafe said and JJ’s face went numb, hand going up to try to stop the blood pouring out from his nose, crying out in unbearable pain. Rafe laughed at him and Kelce let go.

“I should call the police and let them know exactly where you are but it’s funnier this way. Let’s see how long you last.” He heard him say through the pain.

When they walked away, JJ crouched down, tears streaming from his eyes from the pain. He pushed his sweatshirt up to his nose to try to stop the blood, but it hurt more. 

He had no idea what to do, but he thought his nose might be broken. He couldn’t even use the walkie talkie to tell John B. He heard them speed off and he stood up, deciding to try to get some ice from the store. He knew from experience that if he didn’t, it would be ten times worse in the morning. 

“Get out of here with that! You’re bleeding all over my floor!” The cashier said as he walked back in and tried to head over to the soda machine for some ice. 

He ignored him and grabbed a cup, filling it with ice before turning back to the man. “I need some fucking ice, chill out! I give you enough business, fuck off and leave me alone!” JJ said as he headed towards the door.

“You’ll be lucky if I don’t call the cops. You can’t steal that! Get back here and pay for that!” The man called to him. 

He turned and shook the cup of ice at the man. “It’s a goddamn cup of _ice,_ man. That’s frozen water. It’s free.”

“JJ? Is that you?” He heard as he touched the door. He made the mistake of looking over his shoulder and making eye contact with Heyward, who was coming out of the snack aisle, looking concerned. 

He pushed the door open quickly, walking out and turning the corner of the store again to head back to the woods. 

“Wait a damn second, JJ!” He heard Heyward calling after him and he almost stopped. “Making an old man like me chase after you.” He heard.

He turned around at that, feeling guilty and lowered the cup of ice from where he had been holding it against his nose. It was pitch black dark in the side of the parking lot and he took a step back when Heyward tried to get closer. Heyward stopped, recognizing his need for space.

“JJ, you stop right now before I come over there and tackle you, you little bastard. Don’t throw your life away over a stupid mistake.” Heyward said to him and JJ shook his head, backing away towards the woods. 

“Heyward, you don’t get it! Peterkin wants to send me to juvie!” He said desperately. He wasn’t sure if Heyward was serious about tackling him but he was willing to find out just to escape.

‘No she doesn’t, you _idiot_. Goddamn. She wants to figure out a plan for you, that’s it. Me and Pope’s mom talked to her for awhile yesterday.” Heyward said to him.

JJ wanted to believe that but he didn’t know if Heyward was just saying that to get him to come with him. “How do I know you’re not lying?”

“When have I ever lied to you?” Heyward said.

“How would I know? I wouldn’t always know if it was a lie.”

“No one’s letting you go to juvie. Let me take you home. We can figure this whole thing out, I promise. Just come with me. And we could get you something better than that cup of ice for your face.” Heyward said.

“I’m not going home.” JJ said, shaking his head before he realized what that sounded like. “I mean, I don’t have my stuff with me.”

Heyward looked at him, hard. “I meant our house tonight.”

“You promise I won’t have to go to juvie?” He asked, hating that he sounded like a baby, but he couldn’t help it. He was exhausted and his nose hurt so much he could barely think straight.

“Yes. Stop being so damn stubborn and come on.” Heyward said and JJ took a step closer to him. He looked over his shoulder at the dark woods and felt his grip on his cup of ice slipping as it started to melt in the heat of his hand. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to get some real ice and finally stop running, since it clearly wasn’t working for him.

JJ shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal and walked towards Heyward, stepping to the side when Heyward tried to reach out for him. Heyward got the message and took his own step to the side before unlocking his truck. JJ got in slowly and pressed himself up against the door out of instinct. 

“Seatbelt or we ain’t moving.” Heyward said, pulling his own on. 

JJ rolled his eyes. He knew where Pope got it from.

Heyward talked about random stuff as they drove towards his house, which JJ appreciated. His nose was throbbing and he could feel the entire region around it swelling up. He barely answered as he held the cup of ice up to his nose. 

They pulled up to Pope’s house and JJ hesitated before opening his door. “Come on in, we need to fix that nose before it gets any worse.” Heyward said. 

JJ opened his door and followed Heyward inside, nervous to see Pope. 

“JJ?! Dad?! What the hell? John B. and Kie wouldn’t tell me anything about where you were! Wait, what happened to you? Dad, what happened?!” Pope asked as he jumped up from the sofa and ran over to JJ. 

“I’ll be right back with some ice for that, JJ.” Heyward said as he walked towards their kitchen, shaking his head.

“Pope, relax. I’m fine.” JJ said, lowering his voice and looking towards the kitchen door. “Fucking Rafe and Kelce cornered me and he broke my face as payback for when I hit him with my cast and the blackmail.”

“Shit! What was he doing on the Cut? Were you on Figure Eight?” Pope said.

“I’m not that stupid, Pope, I was on the Cut. I don’t know, he was probably trying to score or something. But listen. He said he was the one who called the cops at the Boneyard! He’s literally the whole reason why I’m in this situation! So we need to plan revenge.” JJ said.

“Revenge? We need to worry about you and how you ran away from the cops, JJ! From Peterkin! The whole island has been looking for you! It’s all everyone was talking about at school! The last thing you need to do is plan revenge!” Pope said loudly and JJ put a hand over his mouth, looking over his shoulder for Heyward. 

“Shut up, Pope! I don’t want your dad to hear!” He whispered before he was cut off by Heyward.

“Hell no, too late. Revenge for what? You having trouble comprehending, JJ? Because you’re in enough trouble as is, no one’s getting revenge on anyone.” Heyward said.

“What? I was joking. Just revenge on John B. for stealing my ten bucks the other day.” JJ said, accepting the ice pack and wet paper towel Heyward passed to him. He couldn’t help but flinch at the pain it caused to shoot through his nose as he wiped the blood off.

“You weren’t joking, don’t lie to me. What kind of an idiot do you think I am?” Heyward said. “Now sit down and let me look at your face. It’s probably broken, judging by your brain.” 

JJ sat down and shut up, looking at Heyward and trying not to flinch as he stood over him and reached down to touch his face. “What happened? And I don’t want any bullshit.”

JJ looked over at Pope before Heyward said, “No, don’t look at Pope. Look at me and tell me the truth. What happened?”

As much as JJ wanted to get Rafe in trouble, he knew he could then fire back and talk about the blackmail and he didn’t know if that would make it worse for him.

“This random asshole hit me and tried to take my money outside the store.” JJ said to him, looking in his eyes before looking away.

“Funny, cause I’ve been on this island for decades and no random asshole has ever done that to me.” Heyward said and Pope was mouthing something at JJ behind his back.

“Maybe cause.... let’s be honest, people are scared of you.” JJ said while trying to decode what Pope was saying.

Heyward just glared at him.

“Fine. It was Rafe. Rafe Cameron. Not that it matters, he never gets in trouble cause he’s fucking loaded.” JJ said.

“Ward Cameron’s son? He did that to your face? Why?” Heyward asked.

“He needs a reason? Since when is it okay to bash people’s faces in? I didn’t think you condoned violence, Heyward. He’s over eighteen, too. Doesn’t that count? He’s an adult.” JJ said, getting angry.

“It counts to me. But before we go around giving his name to everyone, you need to be honest and tell me if he’s gonna come right back with some bullshit you did.”

JJ shook his head angrily, biting his lip before stopping when it hurt. “Yeah. So he won’t get in trouble. Again.”

Heyward sighed and sat down on a chair, one hand over his eyes for a second. “You’ve got to try to grow up. Y’all can’t just be doing this kind of stuff to each other. This is on another level. You’re in enough trouble as it is.” 

“Dad, he’s done a lot of messed up stuff to us over the past few years.” Pope said.

“I’m sure he has, I can see it right in front of my face. But doing it back isn’t helping. No revenge, you hear me? It stops here before someone ends up dead.” Heyward said to both of them.

JJ didn’t answer but Pope nodded and said, “Yes, sir.”

“Yeah, I’m not hearing the voice I need to hear.” Heyward said.

JJ stood up. “I’m gonna go, I’ll turn myself in tomorrow, I promise. I’m just tired and my face hurts. Thanks for the ice.”

“Sit your ass back down. You ain’t going anywhere. We’re gonna figure this all out here. I told you I wasn’t gonna make you talk tonight and I’m keeping my word. But tomorrow morning, we’ve got to meet with your daddy and Sheriff Peterkin.” Heyward said. “Cause both of them are dying to talk to you and it’s time to stop avoiding it and face the music.”

“No, I can’t!” He said, taking a step back towards the door.

“Yeah, you can. What’d you think, you could just stay here and never have to face them? Come on, son. I already told you you aren’t going to juvie.” Heyward said.

JJ kept walking towards the door and Pope got up and grabbed him by the hood. 

“Get off me, Pope!” JJ said, yanking his sweatshirt away from him.

“No, JJ! You’re not going back out there again! You’re not listening to anyone. Open your ears and listen, you idiot!” Pope said back and JJ crossed his arms and leaned against the door.

“Damn.” Heyward said, disappearing back into the kitchen and coming back with a glass of water and Advil right as Pope’s mom came home, bumping into JJ by the door. 

She froze when she saw JJ before reaching to hug him. He tensed up before hugging her back after a minute, realizing how good it felt.

“We were so worried about you, sweetie! I’m so glad you came to us. Everything’s gonna be okay, I promise.” She said before she pulled back and looked at his face. “What in the world happened to your sweet face?”

“We’ve got ice on it, Mrs. Heyward. It barely even hurts.” He said and she looked at Heyward.

“I found him outside the store after he was jumped.” He said to her.

“Jumped? Are you okay, JJ? What else hurts?” She asked, looking him up and down. “You need a shower.” She said and he took advantage of that to get away from everyone.

“Yeah, tell me about it. Can I shower here? I want to smell fresh for my last day on earth tomorrow.” He said to them all.

“Last day? Don’t joke about that. It will all work out, we promise. I’m glad you’re here now.” Mrs. Heyward said. 

An hour later, JJ was anxiously bouncing his knee as he sat crouched on the top step in the dark hallway. He had taken the clothes he had been wearing downstairs after his shower and stopped to listen when Heyward said they were going to call his dad and let him know to come in the morning. 

He listened hard, desperately trying to hear what was being said and slid down a few steps quietly. It was taking every ounce of his self-control not to run out into the woods again. They had given him some sweatpants and a t-shirt of Pope’s to wear while his stuff was being washed and he knows they didn’t give him a sweatshirt on purpose.

“Luke? It’s Heyward. We’ve got your kid here with us, wanted to let you know. He’s okay.” Heyward’s voice said and JJ could tell he was trying to keep it down but he had a naturally loud voice and it was a small house. 

JJ strained his ears, sliding down another step to see if it let him hear his dad’s response, but no luck. 

“Nah, I know. Kids are frustrating.” Heyward said. “I’ll call her and let her know. Is ten good tomorrow?”

JJ slid down another step, deciding to just bolt out of the door that he could see right at the bottom of the steps. He couldn’t face his dad and Peterkin both at the same time, he figured he would die on the spot. Or be killed. 

“JJ!” He heard Pope whisper from above him. He whipped around, face full of guilt before crawling back up to him quietly. He grabbed Pope and pulled him into his room, closing the door.

“What were you doing? You looked like you were about to bolt!” Pope said suspiciously, sitting down on his bed.

“I was trying to hear what they were saying, that’s it. I’m gonna die tomorrow.” He said seriously, sitting down on the pile of blankets they had given for him to sleep on. 

“You’re not gonna die. My parents talked to Peterkin yesterday, you’re not going to juvie.” Pope said, yawning and lying down.

JJ stayed quiet, not wanting to keep talking about it and about how his dad was definitely going to kill him tomorrow and no one seemed to agree.

“Go to sleep, JJ. I’m turning the light off, some of us have school tomorrow.” Pope said and JJ wondered if he wasn’t hurt that John B. and Kie hadn’t told him where he had been hiding. He decided to worry about that if he survived the next few days.

Pope turned off the light and JJ spent the whole night fighting off the urge to slip through Pope’s window and back onto the run.

It was definitely his last day on earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next....Peterkin and Luke come over (omg!), JJ goes home, Pope reveals that he knows what happened to JJ and the rest is still unwritten!
> 
> If you are still reading this (huge long out of control story!)! Would you like 7 more chapters? Or 17 more chapters? I don't know how it became so long but I'm happy to keep going! I just wondered if it was getting too long 😂 
> 
> Have a wonderful holiday if you are celebrating one! The next chapter should be up right before 2021 or right after.


	20. The Trouble with Trouble

JJ was wide awake, alternating between lying down trying to sleep and pacing around. Pope sleep-yelled at him whenever he got up to fiddle with the stuff in his room and leaving to go to another part of the house or to run away was out of the question. 

He couldn’t stop thinking about all of the possibilities and what was going to happen to him. He didn’t trust Peterkin and what she had told the Heywards. He didn’t think it was fair that his dad was going to beat the shit out of him and then he would probably have to go to juvie on top of that. 

Part of him was annoyed because John B. had done everything he had done, with a few exceptions, and wasn’t even in trouble. But he tried to push that part down and away. He always knew John B. deserved more than he did.

After a few hours, he decided he couldn’t make it through the night without calling John B. He walked over to Pope, reaching around him for his phone, dodging his arm when he shoved him away.

“JJ. Go. To. Sleep.” He groaned into his pillow.

“I need to borrow your phone, Pope. I’ll be quiet, I swear. I just need to talk to John B.” He said, digging his hand under Pope’s arm and pulling it out.

Pope groaned dramatically, sitting up and grabbing his phone back. He moved so his back was against the wall and pulled JJ down to sit next to him.

“Sit down, your hovering is making _me_ nervous. I swear to god, you and John B. are like Romeo and Juliet. He’s probably awake right now, waiting for your call so he can sleep.” Pope said, dialing the number and putting it on speaker, phone in between them.

“Aw, you jealous, Pope? You know I love you.” JJ said, blowing a kiss at Pope.

“Pope? Is JJ awake?” John B.’s voice came through the speakers on the third ring.

“Oh, he’s awake. He won’t sleep until he hears your voice.” Pope said, rolling his eyes with a smirk when JJ took the phone from his hand.

“Shut up, Pope. I bet John B. will be down for revenge once he hears.” 

“Uh-uh. No. You did not wake me up at two in the morning to plan revenge on Rafe with John B.” Pope said, trying to grab the phone back. 

“Wait, what? Revenge? Rafe? All Pope said earlier was that you were with him and were fine. What happened?” John B. said.

“What happened? Rafe practically broke my nose and told me he’s the one who called the cops on us! And now I’m trapped and Peterkin’s coming over in the morning to murder me!” JJ said, getting worked up.

“No one’s murdering you, JJ! You’re literally so dramatic. Stop exaggerating. Rafe will stop if we stop. Stop giving him what he wants!” Pope said.

“Nah, Pope, I’m with JJ. He needs to pay!” John B. said and JJ gave Pope a smug look, despite his anxiety.

“And this is why I’m hanging up and we’re talking tomorrow when we’re all awake and know what’s going to happen with JJ. No, JJ! Get off me! Go to sleep!” Pope said, fighting off JJ when he tried to grab the phone.

“I didn’t even get to talk to him!” JJ argued when Pope hung up and shoved his phone under his pillow, laying down and kicking his feet out into JJ.

“Cause you were trying to start shit! Go to sleep, JJ!” Pope said, closing his eyes. 

JJ kicked Pope back before going back to the blankets on the floor, laying down. He spent the rest of the night getting yelled at on and off by Pope for different things before finally falling to sleep as the sun came up.

* * *

He woke up to the sound of voices, eyes shooting open, heart racing as he tried to remember where he was and what was happening. He didn’t calm down when his brain caught up and he realized his dad’s voice was one of the ones downstairs. He shot up, looking around for Pope before realizing he must be at school when he saw that it was 10:05 on the clock. He saw a note next to him in Pope’s handwriting, but he didn’t want to waste his time trying to read it.

He couldn’t believe that the one time he needed to stay awake, he let his guard down and fell asleep, unable to prepare himself for what was about to happen. He saw the black sweatshirt and sweatpants folded on Pope’s bed and pulled them on, rushing over to Pope’s window and trying to push it open, deciding to climb out and run again now that he was alone. 

He looked down at the twenty foot drop and was trying to figure out how to make it without breaking his neck, one leg out the window, when he heard the door open. He whipped around guiltily when he saw Mrs. Heyward, sliding back off the ledge and into the room.

“Honey! Don’t scare me like that, that’s way too high!” She started, looking worried when she realized what he had been doing. “I hate that you feel like you would have to jump that high and run! I promise it will be okay.”

He didn’t have a lot to say to that except the one thing on his mind as he listened to his dad talking downstairs. “He’s gonna kill me.” 

“What do you mean when you say that, sweetie?” She asked him and he wanted so badly to tell her but knew it would ruin and upheave his entire life. Not to mention, make his dad even more pissed than he was.

He shrugged and moved around Pope’s room, touching things just to distract himself from his never-ending nervous energy. “You can tell me anything, JJ. What do you think your dad is going to do?” She said and he wished he could.

“He’s gonna ground me so much I won’t be able to see Pope or John B. or Kie. And he’s gonna make me work with him on top of Heyward!” He lied quickly, copying what he knew Pope’s parents did to him.

Mrs. Heyward looked at him sadly before walking over and offering him her hand. He took it, feeling like a little kid, but needing it at the same time. “Any parent would be upset if their baby went missing, running from the police. I would be beside myself. I _was_ beside myself thinking about you out there! But he’s not going to kill you, I promise. And if he grounds you, the good news is that it has an end. It won’t be for forever.”

JJ knew she meant nothing but the best, but some of JJ’s worst times with his dad had been “any parent” situations where everyone said it was normal for him to be mad. JJ used to always wonder if what happened after was normal, too. He still kind of wondered. He knew Heyward sometimes told Pope he was gonna ‘whoop his ass’ but he’d never asked him if he had before. He didn’t want to find out as much as he did want to find out. He knew he was the only one who got his face bashed in regularly.

“We’ll do it together. Just explain how you’ve been feeling and apologize and it will all be okay.” She said, tugging his hand so that he followed her out of the room and towards the stairs. “We all care about you.”

They went into the living room and JJ stopped in the doorway, frozen with anxiety as soon as he saw his dad. He could tell right away that he was sober, which was almost as bad as when he was high on coke. He gave JJ a death stare before dismissing him and looking back at Heyward, who had been talking to him.

“Here’s your baby back, Luke.” Mrs. Heyward said, ignoring the tension.

“He sure acts like a baby, you’ve got that right. You wanna explain yourself? Where the hell have you been?” Luke said to JJ, looking him up and down, eyes breezing over his bashed in nose uninterestedly. Mrs. Heyward took his arm gently and pulled him down onto the sofa next to her. JJ suddenly wished Pope was home, even if it would have been embarrassing for him to witness him being such a pussy. 

“I’m sorry, Dad.” JJ said, looking at him before looking down at his hands.

“I don’t give a shit. I asked where you were.” 

He felt Mrs. Heyward scoot a little closer to him and he wondered how much of what his dad was going to say to him would be brushed off as a typical angry parent. Everyone always gave his dad extra slack too since he was a single dad. He had lost count of how many people he had heard say it must be hard raising a kid like JJ by himself. 

He didn’t want to reveal that he had been squatting in their makeshift treehouse in the woods but he didn’t know what else to say. He decided to keep it vague.

“In the woods.” He said. 

“In the woods _where?”_

He shrugged. “Just...in there. I’m sorry.” 

His dad snorted and mumbled something that sounded like “you’re gonna be” and JJ started to bounce his knee rapidly. Mrs. Heyward held his hand again and he saw his dad’s glare zero in on it. He knew he would bring it up later but he couldn’t bring himself to let go of her warm hand. His dad hated it when anyone showed him affection, but it was the only thing keeping him in the room.

There was a knock at the door before anyone had to figure out what to say next and Heyward got up to go get it. JJ tensed up even more at the sound of Peterkin’s voice, but Mrs. Heyward rubbed circles on the back of his hand with her thumb, which helped.

They walked into the room, Peterkin looking right at JJ before greeting his dad and Mrs. Heyward. The living room was getting very crowded and very full of people JJ didn’t want to be around and he couldn’t stop tapping his leg, biting his lip, hard.

“Well, it’s good to see you indoors. We’ve been looking for you.” She said to JJ. “You ready to talk?” 

JJ nodded slightly, looking away.

“You want to start with where you got that bruise on your face? That’s a lot of beautiful rainbow colors.” She continued and JJ looked around, not sure who to focus on. 

He shrugged, not wanting to talk and Heyward stepped up. “He got jumped by two older boys last night. That’s when I found him and brought him back with me.” 

“You got any names?” She said to JJ and he physically bit his tongue to resist telling her that she wouldn’t do anything if she found out their names.

“JJ, you better answer her every goddamn time if you know what’s good for you.” His dad threatened him and he looked at him before looking at Peterkin. For as big of an asshole as his dad was, he always made him be polite.

“No, ma’am. It was dark.” He said, looking her right in the eyes. She knew he was lying but he knew she couldn’t prove it.

“Mhmm. Well, we’ll circle back to that another time. Thanks to your little adventure, I already filled your father in on what you’ve been up to for the past few months and what you and I had worked out last time, before you were caught again last weekend.” Peterkin said, pausing. If she expected him to willingly contribute anything if it wasn’t a direct question, she had another thing coming.

“You remember what I said last time, right?” She asked, and JJ nodded. “Tell me why I shouldn’t process the evidence I have on you right now and hand you a one way ticket to Wadesboro.” She finished and his heart skipped several beats. He stayed quiet.

“I’ve seen that list of shit you stole. Do you know how much money they’ll come after me for? You steal one more thing, I don’t care if it’s a goddamn piece of gum, and you’re gonna be sorrier than you are now, I’ll tell you that.” Luke said to him and Peterkin looked at JJ to see his reaction. JJ was almost annoyed at how his dad managed to basically threaten his life and no one blinked an eye because of his wording.

“Your dad’s right, JJ. Your whole life, thrown away over what? It stops now, son. You’ve gotta promise us all that. You need something, you come to one of us. There’s no reason to steal.” Heyward said.

JJ wasn't sure what he was even expected to say. He had every reason to steal. He would typically bring out his fake tears in this situation, but with his dad here, that plan was ruined.

“Look, Sheriff Peterkin, I’m sorry. But I’ve been working and going to school like you wanted! It was one night, everyone from school was there doing the same shit- I mean stuff. It’s not fair that I was the only one who had to spend the night at the station and get in trouble!” JJ said, frustration taking over.

“I’m not hearing an answer.” She said back.

“I guess you’re gonna send me to juvie.” He finally said, swallowing a lump in his throat. He couldn’t look at anyone.

“I asked what _you think_ should happen to you, not what you think I’m gonna do.” She said.

JJ felt a wave of anger swoop in and overtake his anxiety and fear. He spoke before thinking it through, like he usually did. “Then my answer is nothing because I didn’t do shit this time! I was just doing what fifty other kids from school and The Kook Academy were doing!” He said to her.

“JJ, don’t be disrespectful, son.” Heyward said and Mrs. Heyward squeezed his hand. He was too scared to look at his dad. He already knew he was adding it all up in his head for later.

“I think you feel like it was unfair that you and Kiara and Pope were taken into the station when so many other kids got to get away with it. Is that it?” Mrs. Heyward stepped in.

JJ nodded, relieved that someone understood him, even if it wouldn’t help him. 

“Let me just clarify then. Those other kids? They didn’t have half an ounce of marijuana on them and thousands of dollars worth of theft to their name. They also didn’t run away from the police station and go missing for four days.” Peterkin said and his dad couldn’t stay quiet.

“You fucked up, you little shit. If you go to juvie, you deal with it and stop hiding and crying like some kind of little girl. You hear me? I’ll drive you there myself.” He said to JJ and JJ nodded right away. 

“Hey, none of that now, Luke.” Heyward said. “You’re pissed, we get it, but that’s no way to talk to your kid. Kids make mistakes.”

“Yeah, well, this one makes nothing but mistakes.” Luke said back and JJ felt that familiar burn of shame in his stomach. “He’s just like his mom. It’s in his nature to fuck up.”

“Luke, that’s not fair to him. That’s damaging.” Mrs. Heyward said, moving an arm around JJ.

“He knows.” Luke said. “Don’t you?” 

JJ didn’t know what part he was referring to but he nodded to avoid making his dad snap more when they were alone.

“Luke, that’s enough.” Heyward said and JJ could hear the anger in his voice.

He wanted the couch to swallow him up, he was so embarrassed that everyone was witnessing this. Instead, Peterkin turned back to him like nothing had happened. 

“Here’s what we’re gonna do. You and your friend John B. are gonna come on a little field trip with me this Sunday. To Wadesboro. And you’re both gonna get the grand tour. I want you to see how far away it is and what it’d be like in there because I don’t think you get it. And by the end of that trip, I want you to come up with some solid consequences for yourself and we’ll go from there. Because I’m not playing with you and neither is the Kildare County Police Department.” Peterkin said and JJ couldn’t think of anything worse than having to go to juvie with her. He didn’t trust that she wouldn’t throw him in and leave him there forever.

“What? Why do we have to-” He started to say before Heyward and his dad both cut him off.

“JJ, accept the consequences.” Heyward said at the same time as his dad said, “If you don’t shut up-”.

Peterkin had one eyebrow raised, looking at everyone before looking back at JJ. “Do you understand me? And if you even think about running away or disappearing before then, you’ll be going there, but it won’t be on a field trip.”

JJ didn’t answer. He didn’t know why he had to go on some weird road trip with her, why John B. was involved again and why he had to come up with consequences himself. He didn’t think he had really done anything wrong, at least recently. The Kooks didn’t miss what he had taken and all he had done was smoke some weed with Kie.

His dad cleared his throat and shifted and JJ’s eyes went to his hands. He saw him clenching his fists and knew he wanted to hit him. He tried not to imagine them bashing into his already swollen face.

“JJ, sweetie, let her know you understand. That’s a very fair plan.” Mrs. Heyward said, squeezing his hand again and he knew he was being immature but he couldn’t help it. He felt like everyone was out to get him.

“I understand.” He finally said and Peterkin nodded and stood up to leave. His dad stood up too and JJ looked at him and had never felt a chill like he did when his dad glared back at him.

“Let’s go.” He said, walking towards the door.

He wished he was exaggerating like everyone kept saying when he said he thought his dad might really kill him this time.

He wasn’t far off.

* * *

It was John B. who always saved JJ when he was falling into a dark hole and it was John B. who saved him now. He had always been the one to help him crawl back out, to offer him a hand and pull him up, refusing to let him sink all the way down. Refusing to give up on him.

John B. had seen JJ at his lowest, at his highest, (literally), and everything in between. He had been there for him during his happiest moments, his saddest moments and he had been there for him during his deepest, darkest moments, even if JJ hadn’t always taken him up on his help. JJ didn’t feel like he had been there for John B. in the same way, but he knew John B. would disagree. That’s part of why he was such a good best friend.

His dad had lasted five minutes into the drive home before he pulled them onto the side of a back road and attacked him. That’s the only word JJ could use to describe what happened. He couldn’t say he ever remembered a lot when it happened but he remembered certain things and those things were what stuck with him now as he sat in his room, hands over his ears to drown out his dad’s words.

He remembered feeling his dad’s hand on his throat and him squeezing it tighter than he ever had before, choking him, unable to get enough air. He remembered the feeling of his dad’s fist pounding into the side of his head repeatedly, his knee digging into his side as he got on top of him. He remembered wondering if he was ever not going to feel helpless when it came to his dad. And he remembered crying like a baby. He couldn’t help it.

It didn’t matter how old he was, that feeling of being terrified and completely _helpless_ and out of control while his dad was on him never changed. The embarrassment after when he realized what he had just _let_ happen to himself again without fighting back never changed either.

He had been dragged into his house and his dad had seemed to think it was funny making him cry when he told him he was going to send him to live with Mimi or his mom, whoever would take him.

He had been shoved into his room and had almost immediately tried to push open his window and run away before his dad yelled that he better not leave. He had laid down, dizzy, closing his eyes to try to calm down.

And he had been in there for six long hours, feeling trapped all over again like he had in the treehouse, this time in a different kind of unbearable pain. 

It was dark out when he saw movement from his window. There was a ringing in his ears and he was feeling disoriented. His dad’s music had been blasting for hours, he had no idea if he was awake or not and didn’t want to know.

“JJ?” John B. said, climbing in and rushing over to him as JJ’s thoughts caught up with his brain. He turned his light on for him and JJ sat up.

“You need to leave, John B, my dad is on one.” He said, scooting back on his bed away from the light of his lamp so John B. couldn’t fully see the damage. The movement made him dizzier and he closed his eyes for a second, leaning his head against the wall. 

“I’m so pissed at myself! I should have come to the Heywards' this morning and stopped your dad. You’re not staying here another second. Fuck your dad.” John B. said.

“It’s basically all from Rafe.” He said, embarrassed to admit that Rafe or his dad had been able to hurt him. It was a lie. He hadn’t seen himself but he was sure that most of it was from his dad.

“Well, I’m gonna get him back, too. Let’s get out of here. Where’s your backpack?” John B. said, looking around his room for it.

JJ tried to rack his brain for when he had last seen it and realized it must still be in his dad’s car. He had been dragged inside without a chance of getting it.

“I think it’s in my dad’s car. Shit.” He said to John B. and John B. grabbed some random clothes from the room, shoving them into his own backpack. “I can try to sneak out and get it.”

John B. shook his head. “He’s not here right now. His car’s gone.” 

JJ felt beyond pathetic for staying in the house when his dad wasn’t even there and realized he had probably left the music on just so he would think he was there. Not that that mattered- he was scared to leave after he told him what he was going to do to him anyways.

“Alright, come on.” John B. said, walking towards the door. JJ got up to follow him but hesitated, dizzy and disoriented.

“JJ, come on. As much as I have shit to say to your dad, I don’t think us bumping into him right now is a good idea.”

“Maybe I should stay.” He said, looking at John B. before looking away. 

“Maybe you should _what_? Stay and have him come after you again? I’m not leaving you here. You need ice and sleep and food. Let’s go.” John B. said, walking over to pull him with him.

“You don’t get it! He said he might make me move to Florida and live with Mimi or my mom! I don’t know if he’s lying but if I leave now, he’s definitely gonna. He told me not to leave!” JJ said, taking a step back.

“JJ, no one’s gonna let that happen! He just wants to scare you, he’s not gonna do that. Don’t let him win.”

“You don’t know him, he’ll definitely do it. I have to stay!” JJ said, sitting down on his bed. “Just leave, okay? I’ll see you later, once he calms down.” 

“I’m not leaving you here, JJ! Your neck has literal handprint bruises on it! Your face is all bashed up! You’re coming with me, even if I have to drag you out. He’s lying!” He answered, reaching for him. JJ flinched, hypersensitive after today and John B. stopped reaching for him.

“I can’t go with you, John B! You don’t understand! Why doesn’t anyone believe me? He isn’t lying and I’m not exaggerating!” JJ said and to his own embarrassment, he started to cry again. He couldn’t help it. He was starving from not having eaten a real meal in almost a week, dizzy, nauseous, stressed out and terrified. Not to mention in severe pain and he probably had a concussion. And no one was taking what he said seriously.

“JJ…” John B. said, sitting down next to him and putting a hand on his back. He rubbed some circles awkwardly. “I believe you. But you can’t stay here and just let that happen, we have to fight back! We’ll come up with a plan. But at my house. Me, you, Kie and Pope.”

“You don’t get it, John B! I want to just leave and not worry about it like you want me to but I can’t. You don’t know what it’s like. He loves me, it’s not that easy to just fight back. I owe him, too. I mean, he even says sorry sometimes. I bet he will tomorrow.” JJ said, wiping his eyes hard, keeping one hand over them.

“You don’t owe him shit.” John B. said.

JJ didn’t answer, trying to stop crying. 

“I got lots of weed from Jaden today.” John B. said and JJ almost was convinced just from that. It had been way too long since he smoked and he needed it more than ever. “Your dad’s not even home, come with me tonight, we can get high as shit, I can help you with what hurts and we can see Kie and Pope tomorrow. Over our dead bodies are you leaving the state. Do you trust me?”

JJ finally nodded and stood up. If there was one thing he knew, it was that he could trust John B.

* * *

John B. had helped him as much as he could, but there wasn’t much he could do for him other than get him ice and some Advil and let him rest. He stayed next to him on the pullout all night and JJ didn’t have the heart to tell him that the tv was making his head pound, pretending to fall asleep instead, eyes screwed shut against the flashing screen. 

Almost twenty-four hours later, JJ found himself at the end of the dock with Pope, Kie and John B, feeling almost like himself again for the first time in awhile. John B, JJ and Pope had all had the day off school for a teacher workday, which had helped since JJ was not looking forward to going back. 

Pope and Kie had both gotten permission from their parents to come over after promising that they would just be watching a movie at John B.’s. It wasn’t too far off, JJ’s head still hurt from what his dad had done to him, but they were drinking beer on the dock and trying to joke around. 

He had a feeling John B. had texted Kie and Pope not to mention the bruises on his face or neck because they had been awkwardly quiet, avoiding his eyes for the first hour until they got a few beers in them. 

He was fine with the awkwardness, preferring it to explaining what he had let happen to himself. He had a borrowed bandana from John B. around his neck to try to cover the bruises, sweatshirt pulled up high on his neck.

John B. had clenched his jaw when he had seen the full extent of the damage and JJ was scared of what would happen when John B. came face to face with his dad.

“So, besides this horror movie Magic School Bus field trip you have to go on, what else did Peterkin say? Because that’s scary but I can’t believe she would just do that to you.” Kie asked once they were all tipsy.

“She said I have to come up with my own consequences or some stupid shit like that. John B. and I figure I should just offer community service.” JJ said, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the bench from where he sat on the wood. “She’ll probably have me cleaning up trash on the Kook side in one of those little orange vests and shit. Maybe some Kook moms will tip me if I keep the island nice and clean, they’re always horny.”

“Gross.” Kie said, gagging. “You think that will be enough? Picking up trash?”

“Yeah. You want to see me in a sexy-ass vest on your side of the island, Kie?” JJ said. “It’s like a fantasy, right? Maybe you get a flat tire and I come over and change it with my tools and you’re like, ‘God damn. He’s pretty hot for a Pogue’.”

“In your creepy little dreams, JJ. As if.” Kie said, laughing at him.

“Sounds like _John B’s_ fantasy. He’s the one in love with you.” Pope said, dodging an empty beer can when John B. threw one towards him. It landed in the water and Kie made him lean over to get it out.

“You know what’s more realistic though? She drives past you and you’re in a chain gang, wearing a jumpsuit and getting yelled at by Peterkin, using your trash pick to try to collect organic snack bags.” John B. said once he had retrieved it.

“Way more realistic. Also, as if I’d even need you to change my tire for me.” Kie answered. “I’m glad you’re okay though, JJ.” 

That was way too serious and emotional for JJ to handle after his day yesterday and his rough night so he just made a kissy face at her and she flipped him off. He could handle that.

“First one inside gets to pick the movie!” John B. said, using Pope to push himself up, causing him to tip into JJ. Kie tried to grab him to hold him back but he broke loose, running towards the house. She ran to follow him. JJ and Pope didn’t move.

“Aren’t you gonna go in and fight for us? There’s only so many times we can watch Fast and Furious, Pope.” JJ said when he didn’t follow them.

“At this point, it’s all a blur. He’s gonna make us watch it no matter what.” 

JJ didn’t answer, rubbing his eyes and pulling out the weed John B. had gotten for him.

“JJ, maybe you should do that inside. What if Peterkin comes here to check up on you?” Pope said, looking nervous. JJ knew he must look rough if Pope wasn’t objecting to the weed, just to where he smoked it. 

“I promised I’d be there Sunday. She’s not gonna come here. Relax, Pope. Besides, if she does roll up, we’ll see her a mile away. I’ll throw it in the water.” JJ reasoned. 

Pope didn’t say anything as JJ continued to roll it. After a few hits, he felt relaxed as the first bit went into his system. It eased his pain a little. and he always felt immediately relaxed when smoking. 

“So, I looked up that stuff for your cousin at school yesterday.” Pope said, looking at JJ before going back to building a tower with the beer cans. 

JJ perked up, hoping for a miracle to put a stop to some of his nightmares and flashbacks and sleepless nights. “Yeah, what’d you find? A cure?”

“Not a cure but you know what my suggestion is for her?” He asked and JJ shook his head, not even trying to hide his excitement at finding a solution. He was hoping that he could at least have some good news come out of one of the worst weeks of his life.

“I think she needs to find a really good listener, like one of her best friends. And I think she needs to tell them the truth. And I think her friend will be able to help her after that. But I think she needs to trust her friends enough to let them help her. And I think her friends will tell her that she has nothing to be embarrassed about and that she was so smart to ask for help.” Pope said and JJ froze. 

He knew Pope knew it was him and he didn’t know what to do with that information so he tried to play it off, yet again, but he was nervous and in pain from what Rafe and his dad had done and he knew it wasn’t working before he had even started.

“Okay...I’ll tell her.” He said, standing up unsteadily and turning away. “I’m gonna go see what movie they picked.” They heard a scream and laughter from inside and JJ wished he could trade places with one of his friends, if only for a night.

“JJ.” Pope said and JJ couldn’t turn around. “It’s okay. I know and it’s okay.” 

JJ stayed where he was and forced himself to shrug. “Okay, glad you know everything. I just said I’ll let her know. You coming or not?”

“You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about, JJ. You’re really strong for surviving that. And for surviving yesterday. And today. I wanted to tell you that.” Pope continued and JJ felt anger and an enormous amount of shame flood through his body. He let the anger win.

“Shut up, Pope! You have no idea what you’re talking about.” JJ said, but he dropped down to sit on the bench, hands in his hair. He tried to think of something else so he wouldn’t cry with Pope but he couldn’t. He turned his head away from Pope, hunched over, elbows on his knees.

He felt Pope sit next to him and he couldn’t help flinching when he felt Pope’s hand on his back, just like John B. had done the night before. He thought about what a loser he was that that’s been his night for the past two nights. Same pathetic crybaby, different friend helping him. Pope awkwardly rubbed his back while JJ pretended he wasn’t crying. Pope put his arm around him and let him cry.

“Do you still want to be friends with me?” He asked Pope after he finally stopped crying. He couldn’t look at him, so ashamed that he had known about it all day when they were together. He felt sick and embarrassed but a small part of him felt hope. Hope that Pope could help him in a way John B. hadn’t known how.

“What? Of course! Why wouldn’t I?” Pope said, shocked. JJ didn’t want to describe all the reasons why he shouldn’t be friends with someone as messed up and dirty and stupid as he was but he guessed Pope needed him to.

“I’m really fucked up, Pope. I’m not like you and John B. and Kie. I let all this bad shit happen to me and I probably deserve it. I steal and I lie and I’m a piece of shit. You shouldn’t have to deal with it. I mean, I barely even ask you what’s up with your scholarship or anything. Or ask John B. about his dad. Or Kie about school or her parents. All you guys do is worry about me and try to fix my fuck ups.” JJ said, wiping his eyes with one hand, keeping it over his eyes, head turned away from Pope.

“That’s not true, JJ! You’re always there for all of us when we have shit. You didn’t let anything happen, it happened to you and you didn’t deserve it. You were just a kid. We’re still kids! And I’m gonna help. I found a lot online that could work for you.” Pope said.

“Why? I don’t do anything for you.” 

“Yes you do, JJ. You’re my best friend! The only reason I wanted to tell you this tonight is because I want you to know you’re not alone. I know you’re in a rough place and you deserve a break. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you more about your dad yesterday. He gave you those other bruises, right?” Pope said.

JJ was quiet for a few moments before talking again, still not looking at Pope. 

“My dad says he’s sending me to Florida to go live with my mom. Or Mimi.” He said, waiting for Pope’s reaction.

“What! He can’t do that! He can’t take you away from all of us and school and your life!” Pope said, getting worked up. JJ shushed him, head pounding.

“Yeah, well, I think I should go there. You guys wouldn’t have to worry about fucked up JJ anymore and when he’s gonna fuck up next. I mean, even your mom was worried. I don’t want to put anyone through that.” He said.

“Shut up, JJ. There would be no us without you- no Pogues! We’re not gonna let you go anywhere! It’s Friday, right? You’ve got Peterkin on Sunday. Did your dad say when he was going to contact her?” Pope asked him.

JJ shook his head, shrugging, head down.

“You’re not leaving, JJ.”

JJ nodded a little, standing up to head inside after wiping his tears. He still felt like his stomach burning with shame but the weed had definitely entered his system and he let himself be swept away by his high. They heard a scream and the sound of the hose being turned on and Pope laughed a little.

“Let’s go see what dumbass thing John B. did now.” He said, helping JJ collect the cans so they didn’t blow into the water.

“Thanks, Pope.” JJ said, looking away. “I’m sorry I ruined your sleep the other night.”

“Whatever, JJ. I’m gonna get you back tonight, you just wait.” Pope joked back and JJ was relieved for the front. He knew neither of them really felt like joking.

“Not if I get you back first!”

“You can’t get me back, I didn’t do anything! That’s not how it works!” Pope yelled as JJ tried to run towards the hose to get it from Kie and shoot John B. He tripped and bumped into Kie. 

“Don’t you dare come near me, John B! I’ll shoot again!” Kie said, hose pointed at a drenched John B.

“Damn, Kie got you nice and wet. Kinky. What’d you do?” JJ said. “Hey, Kie, can I have a turn? It’s like a boardwalk game. Shoot the John B.” He put a hand on her shoulder to steady himself, reaching for it. 

“Don’t give it to him, Kie! He and John B. aren't on our sides! They’re like Romeo and Juliet! He’ll turn it on you!” Pope said, running over to stop him.

Kie had already passed it to JJ and he turned it towards Pope, squirting it at him a few times threateningly. 

“Call us Romeo and Juliet _one more time_ , Pope.” He said, shooting it at him.

Pope yelled and ran and JJ chased him a little, turning the hose on John B. when he tried to get to Kie for revenge. 

* * *

The next morning JJ was feeling both better and a hundred times worse. Spending another night back at the Chateau, where he had always felt the most at home, surrounded by his friends and getting high always helped him feel normal again, no matter what had happened the night or day before.

They had had as normal as a night for them as they could considering what had happened recently and how JJ was.

He still had a ringing in his ears and his face was throbbing, making weed even more essential to numb the pain. He thought of his dad’s threat to him before he started to worry about Peterkin. He felt shame churning in his stomach from what Pope had found out, but he tried to cling to the small spark of hope that he could finally get some relief. He couldn’t stay still and tried to climb out from the middle of John B. and Kie, who were crammed onto the pullout with him. Pope had claimed that they were too hard to sleep near when high, stealing John B’s bed.

“Holy shit.” He heard Kie say as she stretched. “This is not how I like to wake up. John B. scoot over. You’re way too close.”

“Ow, Kie!” John B. said as her elbow made contact with his face. 

“You’re lying, Kie. You love waking up next to me, admit it.” JJ managed to joke, smirking when she pushed John B. off the edge before turning to him.

“Yeah, I love waking up next to you, JJ, you caught me. Your hair looks like Sonic, by the way.” She said, rolling her eyes. “And John B. snores like a literal ninety year old. And you both smell.”

“Me? You snore like someone on life support!” John B. fired back.

“If they’re on life support, they can’t snore, dumbass!” Kie said.

“Whatever, Ms. Kook Academy, why would I know that?" John B. said, turning to JJ as he got off the floor. " How do you feel, JJ?”

JJ faked a smile before stopping when it made his face throb. “Yeah, I’m all good, bro. Nothing some dank nugs and watching Pope get wasted couldn’t fix.”

Kie snorted. “He had one beer, JJ.”

“And? He definitely got wasted off of that, Kie. It’s sad, really, he’s lucky he has us.” 

John B. went to the kitchen and started opening the cabinets to look for food. “And there’s no food. Awesome.”

“Let’s go to The Wreck and get carry-out. My dad’s off today so he won’t corner you guys about the dock.” Kie said, putting her shoes on. JJ tried to relax at how everything seemed normal again, but it was hard when tomorrow was looming over him. 

“Not gonna say no to that. As long as I don’t have to go near that dock. Come on, JJ.” John B. said, getting his coat.

“Shouldn’t we grab Pope?” Kie said, walking to go wake him up. “I’ve got to brush my teeth too. I won’t even try telling you two that you need to.”

“Good luck Kie, he's cranky in the morning.” JJ said, zipping his coat up as high as it went on his neck to cover the bruising. 

“Shit, I need to pee.” John B. said, heading outside, JJ following.

JJ sat on the hood of the van, laughing at John B. as he zipped his pants up after peeing on one of the bushes by the house when they heard a car come blazing down the driveway.

They both turned, JJ’s heart stopping when he saw his dad’s car. He could count on three fingers the times his dad had ever come looking for him and it never ended well.

His dad pulled right up to the van, window down, glaring at him. He ignored John B.

“Get the fuck in this car right now before I really get pissed.” He said and JJ hopped down, feet automatically going towards his dad.

“Hey, no, JJ. Don’t go with him.” John B. said as he charged towards his dad’s window and JJ rushed over to get to him away.

“He's not going anywhere with you. If you don’t get the fuck off of my property within the next minute, I’m calling the cops.” John B. said to him angrily and JJ went over and grabbed his shoulder, trying to pull him back.

His dad just laughed. “Go ahead, tough guy. He’s my kid as much as I hate to admit it. They’re not gonna keep him from me.”

“You’re a piece of shit. Half of those bruises aren’t from a fight.” John B. said to him. “You don’t deserve him.”

Luke looked John B. up and down one more time before dismissing him and turning to JJ. “Get the fuck in before your friend really pisses me off.”

JJ pushed John B. back, terrified for him and went to go get in the car. John B. got closer to his dad and JJ froze, not sure what to do.

“I know what you did to him and if you touch him again, then I’m gonna get you back.”

“This little shit got jumped, that’s why he looks like that. Why don’t you back up and go look for your daddy before I run you over. You wouldn’t be like this if he was around to kick your ass.”

"Why don't you try? I'll kick your ass, you piece of shit." John B. replied and JJ's heart stopped.

"Please. You couldn't do shit. Well, maybe more than this little shit, but he knows not to try it." Luke answered.

“Dad, stop- I’m getting in, I’m sorry! John B, go inside!” JJ said from in front of the car, torn between getting in and going back towards John B. He decided it was more urgent to get his dad away from John B. and went over and got in quickly. 

“JJ, don’t go with him!” John B. called to him. “Get out!”

“John B, just-” JJ started to say before his dad peeled out, spinning the car around and speeding down the driveway before he could finish. 

“Fuck you!” He heard John B. yell after his dad as they sped away. 

He tried not to cry when he heard a thud and knew the Kie rooster had tried to play chicken with the car, his dad hitting her without stopping. He couldn’t even check if she was okay as he was pelted towards home.

* * *

“So are you just dumb as shit or do you actually just think you don’t have to listen?” His dad said as soon as they were in the living room again. JJ was trying to go towards his room but stopped.

JJ didn’t answer, biting the inside of his cheek, hand twisting the ring from Pope nervously.

“I want an answer, dipshit.” His dad said and JJ shrugged.

“I’m sorry.” He finally said.

“No, I want to know if you’re dumb as shit or if you think you don’t have to listen.” Luke said, waiting for an answer. 

JJ felt his eyebrows scrunch together briefly in hurt and frustration before he thought about what his dad wanted to hear. “It wasn’t on purpose.” He said.

“I think you’re just dumb as shit. Cause you listen to some shit, you’re just too dumb to know who to listen to. I bet if Heyward told you to do something, you’d do it. Or one of your dumbass friends. Hell, I bet if Heyward’s lady told you to, you’d do anything. Letting her hold your hand like some kind of fucking baby.”

JJ felt his stomach clench at that. He knew he was dumb in a lot of ways. He’d known it his whole life. But Pope’s voice was always in his head, telling him he wasn’t and that he was making progress so he stupidly spoke up for himself. 

“I’m not dumb.” He said quietly and his dad raised his eyebrows and stepped closer. He forced himself not to step back.

“You’re not dumb? They give you books on tape at school cause you can’t read. You’re dumb as shit.” He said to him, satisfied when JJ looked down at his feet, face burning. Pope’s voice was still there in his brain and he spoke again before he could stop himself.

“I made a lot of progress with reading.” He said, already knowing his dad wouldn’t care or believe him.

“Progress from what? Preschool to Kindergarten?” His dad said, smiling when he didn’t say anything to defend himself. “That’s what I thought.”

He continued when JJ stayed quiet. “Dumbass. I’m still calling your grandma and if she won’t take you, I’m dumping you with your mom next weekend. I’ve had you long enough, it’s their turn, cause I’m done. You didn’t learn shit the other day.”

JJ immediately felt his heart start racing even more, swallowing a lump. He refused to let his dad make him cry again, but he couldn’t hide his terror at him mentioning it again. His dad usually forgot his threats by the next day after getting high or drunk, so it wasn’t a good sign.

“No, Dad, _please_. I swear, I’m not gonna get in trouble again! I’m gonna change!” He said, embarrassed to beg but knowing it was the only hope he had. 

Sometimes his dad made threats and didn’t follow through but sometimes he did and JJ never knew what it would be. His dad was nothing if not unpredictable.

His dad sat down at their table, turning the radio on and up over JJ when he kept begging. He stopped talking once it was too loud and his dad stopped looking at him, pouring a line of coke.

He thought about what he could do to change his mind and he really didn’t want to bring up what he was going to bring up but he had to since it used to be important to his dad that he didn’t go near his mom or live with her ever again. 

“You said I wouldn’t have to live with her ever again after what happened. You promised.” He said over the music, looking at his dad. He didn’t turn down the volume at all and JJ couldn’t tell if he just didn’t hear him or was ignoring him to be a dick.

He waited another fifteen seconds, completely ignored, before he turned to walk away, head down, feeling tears come up at the fact that his dad didn’t care anymore about what had happened to him there. He hadn’t felt this shitty so many days in a row since _the monster._

And he hadn't even gone to Wadesboro yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When JJ always says he "lets" the abuse he has experienced happen to him, that is his point of view. He doesn't let anything happen, he's a victim (and a survivor)- every time.
> 
> Everyone lets it continue and doesn't take action because I think it's apparent that as long as he is still energetic and joking and seems okay on the outside, everyone assumes it's not happening or that it's not that bad. And of course he denies, denies, denies.
> 
> In the next chapter, they will go to Wadesboro, Luke will 'apologize' to JJ, Pope will try to help JJ and something with Kie because she's been on the backburner! 
> 
> Also you should check out my friend Youhavetolikepeopleifpeopledontlikeyou's story "rotten and paralysed in a tropical paradise" if you haven't! It's very angsty and amazing. 
> 
> Happy almost 2021!


	21. To Wadesboro and Beyond

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”

JJ jumped, grabbing his backpack straps and turning towards his dad’s voice. Peterkin had told them that she wanted them at the station at seven to go to Wadesboro so it was still dark in the living room as he headed for the door. 

“I have to go to meet Peterkin.” He said. His dad was definitely high and he had been hoping he had crashed since it had been quiet. He got up and walked towards him and JJ took a big step back. Luke just laughed at him and passed him to go to the kitchen. 

“Pussy.” He said under his breath. JJ gritted his teeth, jaw clenched to stop himself from saying anything back. He headed outside and went to his bike.

John B. had appeared at his window last night and JJ had whisper-yelled at him to go away, not opening the window for him. They had decided to meet at the station, JJ refusing to let John B. pick him up to prevent him and his dad from interacting. John B. had only agreed once JJ had shown him that his dad hadn’t hurt him more.

He pulled up and parked a few buildings down from the station like they had agreed so one of them didn’t have to be with Peterkin alone. He waited for John B.’s van, not sure what time it was since he didn’t have a phone anymore. 

“You need an engraved invitation, chief?” He heard Peterkin say and he looked over, seeing her on the sidewalk on her way inside.

“I was waiting for John B.” He said, feeling like an idiot.

“He needs you to hold his hand for him? I’m sure he can find his way inside without you.” Peterkin said, gesturing for him to follow her. He bit his lip, looking back down the street for John B. He figured he must be early if he wasn’t there yet and cursed himself for being so dumb.

He followed her slowly, not wanting to be alone with her in any way, especially after what had happened last time. She held the door open for him and gestured for him to follow her to her office. 

“I can wait here.” He said when they were in the waiting room.

“I know you can, but why don’t we catch up first?” She said and he got even more nervous. He reached up and touched the bandana around his neck, making sure it was covering the bruises.

He dragged his feet, looking towards the door to the station, hoping John B. would save him. He looked at the clock and cussed under his breath when he saw that it was only 6:45. 

“What’s with the bandana? I thought that was more of your friend John B’s thing.” 

“It’s called style, ma’am.” JJ responded.

“You hiding anything under that ‘style’?” She asked as they sat down.“Cause I noticed the rainbow on your face is looking a little different. A little bigger.”

“You know how bruises are. They change colors and shit.” JJ said, looking down at his hands, spinning the ring from Pope. He figured she must know what his dad had done and didn’t care, probably thinking he deserved it.

“They don’t hop up and spread out though.” 

He was saved by a knock on her door as a cop poked his head in. 

“The other kid’s here.” He said to her and JJ stood up, happy to not answer.

Peterkin looked annoyed at being interrupted but stood up too, nodding at the cop. 

“Can’t believe you’re going all the way to Wadesboro for these two little punks, Sheriff.” The cop said.

“You know who the punks are? All of you guys. My dad’s still missing and no one’s doing anything!” He heard John B. say and JJ moved to see him. He hadn’t noticed that he was in the hallway behind the cop. 

“You know that’s not true, kid. It’s been three months.” The cop said to him and even Peterkin looked like she was regretting the trip.

“And..? Your point? What do I have to do, buy you donuts to get you to keep searching?” John B. said and JJ was surprised by how angry he was. He figured it was a combination of seeing all of the cops relaxed at the station, having to go to Wadesboro and all of the shit with JJ’s dad.

“You done? We’ve got a long drive ahead.” Peterkin said, but she didn’t sound angry. She honestly looked kind of guilty to JJ.

“Yeah, I guess I’m done. We’ve got all day to talk, right?” John B. said.

“That’s right.” Peterkin said ominously, leading them towards the door. 

* * *

After a long and painful car ride to Wadesboro, they pulled up to the most depressing and intimidating building JJ had ever seen, as much as he hated to admit it. It was huge, had huge, mostly windowless walls and was surrounded by a tall fence with barbed wire.

The whole drive, John B. had alternated between staying quiet and making comments about his dad and cops and how useless they were and JJ was getting worried how the day would go. Peterkin made them both sit in the back of her car like criminals, answering some of what John B. said, but mostly ignoring it, which pissed JJ off too, but he couldn’t say anything, needing to keep his cover. She told them about Officer Carter, who was her friend from the police academy and would be ‘helping’ her show them around.

She kept pointing out how far away from the island they were as they drove. JJ couldn’t believe that her plan to show him how far away it was was working. But honestly, anything off the island was too far for him.

“Well, consider me scared. Thanks for opening my eyes, Sheriff Peterkin. Seriously, you won’t have a problem with me again. Can I ride shotgun?” JJ said nervously, turning back towards the car as they walked up to the side door of Wadesboro.

“Nice try. You ain’t seen nothing yet.” She said and John B. laughed at him behind her back for thinking that would work.

They were buzzed inside and entered a front room with three corrections officers sitting behind the counter. JJ saw cameras all along the wall, monitoring the rooms and they could hear yelling beyond the room.

A huge man got up and greeted Peterkin before turning to them. JJ didn’t even have to fake looking intimidated and he didn’t think John B. was faking it either. 

“So, I hear we’ve got two tough guys? You boys looking to move here?” The corrections officer said, looking John B. and JJ up and down. 

“Um, negative, sir. We’re real happy where we are. We told Sheriff Peterkin we were changing our ways but she still wanted to go all ‘Beyond Scared Straight’ with us.” JJ said, looking around at the scene beyond the window on the door. He could see at least fifteen boys, yelling and hanging around in a big, dingy room.

“This one is the one who needs it the most, Carter. He’s been on a little crime streak worth thousands of dollars and spent four days on the run from me last week. He thinks he’s cute.” Peterkin said to ‘Carter’.

“Oh, you think you’re cute? Why don’t you step in here and see how cute the others think you are? They eat island boys up for breakfast.” Carter said, walking over to the door. 

“No, thanks. I’m good from here.” JJ chattered nervously.

“What’re you trying to say?” John B. piped up, annoyed. He didn’t look scared anymore and JJ was more worried for him than for himself. He wasn’t going along with their plan of at least acting intimidated for Peterkin. Not that JJ was really acting.

“What’d you think I’m trying to say, big guy?” Carter said to him and Peterkin turned to John B.

“This little friend is heading down a bad street too. He goes along with whatever blondie plans.” She said.

“Oh, so you can’t think for yourself? We’ve got a special place for you here then. Sheriff, how long do you want me to keep them for?” Carter asked her and JJ’s heart shot out of his chest. He knew she had been lying and they were going to stay.

“What’d you think? I was gonna do just today but if you think they need more, go right ahead.” Peterkin answered.

“I think we should try a week.” The man said and Peterkin didn’t object.

“So you lied to us? You said it was a field trip! I didn’t even feed my roosters! You gonna be responsible for their murders, too?” John B. said angrily. Peterkin looked at him hard because he had basically just revealed that no one else lived at his house. JJ was surprised because he had never heard John B. suggest that his dad wasn’t alive before.

“We changed, ma’am. We aren’t gonna be causing any more trouble, we swear. A day is more than enough, we definitely learned our lesson.” JJ stepped in before John B. could dig them in deeper. His heart was racing, hoping that Peterkin was just messing with them like his dad always did and that she would take them home at the end of this. 

“You haven’t learned any lessons yet. Your friend is rude as hell.” Carter said before adding, “Who bruised you up?”

“I was jumped, sir.” He answered.

“I’m sure. Well, let’s go take the grand tour since that’s why you’re here. You got lucky with Sheriff Peterkin because if I was dealing with you, you’d have been in here months ago.” Carter said, buzzing the door open and holding it for them. 

“Here, why don’t we split up for a little bit? See how they like it?” Carter suggested.

“Why are you splitting us up? I thought we were supposed to stay with Sheriff Peterkin!” John B. asked.

“Hey, Diaz.” Carter said to another officer passing by. “Can you take this kid and show him the Rec Room? He thinks he can steal thousands of dollars worth of stuff just because his friend tells him to. Show him everything, will you?”

“Sure. Come with me, buttercup.” He said, grabbing John B. by the arm and dragging him away. John B. didn’t go quietly and JJ wanted to protest on his behalf but he didn’t want to make it worse for both of them. They were supposed to look remorseful.

He followed Carter and Peterkin down a grimy hallway, yelling coming from all sides. Most of the doors were shut but they passed a few open doors and some kids yelled shit at them. JJ knew Peterkin was looking at him so he made sure to look anxious, which wasn’t too hard.

“Do you lock everyone up, like, all the time?” JJ asked nervously, craning his neck to look in a room.

“Oh yeah. You get locked up most of the day unless we’re feeling generous and let everyone out to play. But that usually ends in fights.” Carter said and he thought he saw him and Peterkin exchange a smile.

“Are there murderers here?” JJ asked.

“Yeah. You want to talk to one? You’re pretty chatty.” Carter said.

“I’m okay.” JJ said, but they stopped at an open cell anyways and Carter had a tough looking kid talk to JJ about regret and how his future was ruined now that he was there and what it was like. He hated that their tactics were working, but he couldn’t help but relate to the boy. Even if he didn’t care about his own future, that could easily be John B. and he felt bad for dragging him along.

They passed by a room which he assumed was the Rec Room and JJ saw John B. through the window being forced to talk to a boy. There was yelling across the room and a huge fight broke out, bodies slamming against the window right by JJ, making him jump back. An alarm went off in the hallway and he couldn’t help how his vision blurred, years of experience with violence telling his brain to get away, making his heart rate speed up. 

Several officers broke it up, dragging the two boys past JJ, down the hallway. He pushed himself against the wall to avoid them, trying to control his breathing and he saw Peterkin looking at him so he tried to relax.

“A tough guy like you, scared of a little fight?” Carter said.

JJ just shook his head, trying to calm down again.

They kept walking and they stopped outside of an empty cell. 

“Go on in. See how you like it.” Carter said to JJ.

“I already know I don’t like it. But thanks for the offer. Sheriff Peterkin, can we go back with John B? How come we’re separate?” JJ said, turning to her for help.

“Go on in and see how it feels, big guy. I’d leave you there overnight if you hadn’t already missed three months of school altogether.” Peterkin said, gesturing towards the cell with her head.

“Oh, so we’ve got a little truant on our hands, too? You should definitely leave him, Sheriff. We’ve got school here for him. There’s no skipping and laying around at Wadesboro, that’s for sure.” Carter said, looking at JJ, who looked back at Peterkin, scared.

“You know what, Carter? I think you’re right. An hour or two isn’t gonna do it for these two, or at least not for this one. You can keep him for the night if that’s okay with y’all.” Peterkin said, ignoring JJ.

“Wait, you said it was just for the day! Please, Sheriff Peterkin, I said I was sorry! You promised!” JJ said, not even trying to stay cool. He knew he shouldn’t have trusted anyone about Peterkin.

“I never promised anything, chief. I never said the field trip wouldn’t go overnight.” She answered, watching him. 

“Can’t I be with John B. at least?” JJ said, palms sweaty. 

“You think this is summer camp? You room alone if you’re lucky or with any random kid we assign you to. Go on, get in. I’ll open the door when it’s time for dinner later. Everyone will be excited to see fresh meat.” Carter said, laughing.

JJ looked between them, not sure what to say to get out of going into the cell. 

“You don’t follow directions very well, do you? You used to your mommy holding your hand for you? Is that it?” Carter said to him.

“My mom doesn’t give a shit about me. She left the state years ago.” JJ said, frustrated.

Carter just stared at him, uncaring and pointed into the cell. JJ didn’t move, looking at Peterkin so he grabbed him and shoved him inside, ignoring his flinch. 

“In here, if you don’t listen, we make you listen.” He heard him say before he slammed the door shut and locked it. 

He resisted the urge to run over to the door and try to get out, not wanting to show how scared he was that Peterkin was going to leave them both there. Or take John B. and leave him.

What they had just done scared him more than being in the cell itself. Cutting him off from his friends and home.

He tried not to panic, thinking about having to spend the night or week here but he couldn’t help it. He had no idea where John B. was now and if he was okay or if Peterkin was letting him go home and leaving JJ there. He laid down, clinging to the hope that it was just to scare him.

It was getting dark outside of the tiny window and JJ was giving up hope by the time he heard footsteps and a key being jingled outside of his door. He saw Carter through the window and he sat up, trying to look braver than he felt. 

“Get up.” He said to JJ and JJ got up nervously. 

“Let’s go.” He said, grabbing JJ by his upper arm and walking him down the hallway. 

“Where are we going?” JJ asked and he didn’t answer. He started to freak out internally at the fact that Peterkin was nowhere to be seen and he cursed himself for getting in the car with her. He just hoped John B. had been able to go home. “Is Sheriff Peterkin still here?”

Carter stopped them, pushing JJ against a wall, not hard, but he still couldn’t help his breathing getting faster out of habit. “You think you’re tough?”

“No, sir. Not at all.” JJ said, shaking his head. 

“She’s about to leave. She wanted me to see if you were ready to come with her or if you should stay awhile. You want to stay here?” Carter asked, one hand on the wall next to JJ’s head.

“No, not one tiny bit.” JJ said quickly. “Sir.” He added.

“You are so damn lucky you’re from the Banks and not from my neck of the woods. You do one more thing and you end up here, you’ll be with me. And I won’t be giving you any second or third chances.” He said. “I see you in here again, I won’t be happy. And you won’t be in a cell alone. Do you understand me?”

JJ nodded, hope spiking in his chest that he was still going to get to go home. “Yes, sir. I learned my lesson, I promise.”

“How did it feel being locked in that cell?”

“Not good, sir.” He looked down at his feet. He was pretty tired of being tricked and threatened, even if he deserved half of it.

“I’m making a little file for you, just in case. And if you’re back here again, I’ll be who you’re dealing with. Let’s go.”

Carter grabbed his upper arm again, walking him down the hallway. JJ almost cried for real when he saw Peterkin and John B. waiting in the reception area. John B. looked angry but JJ didn’t get why. He had never felt better, finding out he was leaving.

“He’s not gonna be returning here.” Carter said to Peterkin, dropping JJ’s arm. 

“Oh, I know he won’t. Thanks, Carter. You two ready? Hell, I’m feeling kind of generous ‘cause that was just sad, sad, sad. We can get some dinner on the way back, to celebrate your awakening. Your treat.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ve never been more ready.” JJ answered for both of them. He turned to John B. and added in a tense whisper, “John B, tell her you’re ready. Come on, man.” 

“I’m ready.” He said moodily. 

“Peachy.” Peterkin said, holding the door open for them. JJ didn’t look back.

* * *

“So, about those consequences? What have you been thinking?” Peterkin said to JJ towards the end of the drive home. John B. was still pissed, arms crossed, turned towards the window and as much as JJ wanted to join him, he had a role to play.

“I’ve been thinking… I know I really hurt Figure Eight with my actions.” JJ started, pausing to see if Peterkin would say anything. She stayed silent, giving him a neutral look in the rearview mirror. 

“If you’ll let me, I want to do some kind of community service. To give back and show how sorry I am. I want the island to be a place where everyone feels safe.” He finished, looking down at his lap and blinking a lot to bring up tears.

“Okay, first of all, let’s get this straight. Those little fake tears you pull out? They still do nothing for me, so cut the bullshit. If we’re talking community service, it isn’t going to be some half-assed weekend of picking up trash. I’ve got projects and the community has projects and you’ll need to do them. On both sides of the island. You understand?” She said, glaring at him.

He barely held back a face before nodding. He hated how easily she saw through him. “Yes, ma’am. Hard work doesn’t scare me.”

“Good to hear.”

“But how much community service? Because I’ve got to go to school, right? And I’m working for Heyward. And John B. and I have been rebuilding the dock down at The Wreck. So, I’m kinda busy.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can squeeze it into all the time you spend smoking weed, laying around, thinking of things to get into. Let’s start with four weekends. I’ll get a list of families that need some service and get back to you.” She said. 

“Families? Wait, what?” JJ said and John B. looked over at that. He thought he saw her smirk before she covered it up.

“You heard me. I’m gonna have you helping families on both sides. Whatever they need. Lawn mowed, babysitting, their boat cleaned. They name it, you’ll do it. You hearing me?” Peterkin said. 

“Babysitting?” John B. asked before laughing.

“You want to join in, too? Today wasn’t enough for you?” Peterkin asked him.

“No, ma’am, I am beyond good. I’m just worried about kids being watched by JJ.” He said.

“So am I, but he’ll learn.” Peterkin said.

“I can do anything, Sheriff Peterkin, I swear. Laundry, lawn mowing, babysitting. I can teach the youth of the island everything I know. Their parents won’t recognize them when I’m done.” JJ said.

She was quiet for a minute and JJ looked over at John B, holding back a smile before she responded. 

“No babysitting.” She finally said. “Hard labor only. Our department can’t handle that.”

John B. snorted and JJ laughed too, doubled over to avoid her eyes in the mirror. And JJ swore he heard Peterkin laugh before she went back to hating them again, face straight.

* * *

The next day after school, John B. and JJ were at The Wreck, trying to make progress on the dock. Mr. C was luckily not there, which was good for JJ because he was pretty sure he wanted to murder him for getting Kie taken into the station and that he would have a ton of questions about his bruises.

“Hey, losers!” Kie said as she walked towards them in her uniform, Pope by her side. 

JJ pretended to look behind him. “Oh, you’re talking to John B. Be nice, Kie.” 

“Shut up, JJ.” John B. said.

“Yeah, shut up, JJ. I was mostly talking to you.” Kie said. 

“I needed to be here for this, why?” Pope said, sitting down on the bench near the dock and pulling out his textbook. 

“Because you spend too much time doing that.” John B. said to him and Kie put her backpack on the bench next to him before digging through it. 

“Wait till you see what I got at school today. Even Pope might give these bad boys a try.” She said, pulling out a ziplock of colorful gummy bears.

“Are those what I think they are?” JJ said, laughing and taking the bag from her. 

“Yep.” Kie said, smiling at him. “Woah, one at a time, JJ!” She said when he tried to put three in his mouth. 

“I think I can handle three little edibles, Kie.”

“You don’t know that. The high takes longer to kick in but it’s strong and it lasts way longer.” Kie answered, grabbing the bag back. 

“Can we give one to-” 

“No.” She and Pope answered in unison. 

“You didn’t even let me finish!” 

“I know what you’re gonna say. ‘Can we give one to Pope’?” She imitated in a high pitched voice.

“I wasn’t gonna say Pope.” 

“Oh yeah? Who were you gonna say?” Pope said.

“Kie’s dad. The dude’s so tense.” JJ said, laughing at the image. Kie ate one before offering the bag to Pope and John B.

“Look, I’m trying to get this shit done, get some free fries and go home. You two can take that somewhere else. Or not, because JJ never does shit and now he’s gonna be high. Again.” John B. said, squatting down and measuring the next part of the dock.

“I feel like I should mention that the cops aren’t dumb and you’re gonna get in trouble if they find those on you, Kie.” Pope said.

“Why would cops search my backpack on a random Monday? I’m literally in my school uniform, Pope. I don’t exactly scream ‘gummy bear stoner’. Anyways, wait until you hear about the shit that went down today at school.”

“Wait, don’t you guys want to hear about how John B and I were literally locked up in jail?” JJ asked.

“I mean yeah, of course, but JB already texted last night and filled us in on it all. Let me tell you this Topper drama and then you can tell me about your two hours in jail.” Kie said, like it wasn’t life altering. 

“Kie, it was scary.” JJ said. “Feel bad for me.” 

“I do feel bad for you, but I’m glad you learned your lesson! Are you finally done stealing?” She asked. Pope looked over at him.

“Yeah. Consider me a boy scout now. Is that sexy to you?” JJ asked, puckering up. He froze when Mr. C opened the restaurant’s back door and yelled at him to get to work and away from his daughter. His heart skipped a beat, scared that he had shown up and scared that he was going to come closer and see his face or try to talk.

“Yeah, it’s really sexy, you getting bossed around by my dad.” Kie laughed.

“I’m just trying to make an honest living.” JJ replied, picking up a piece of wood and swinging it as he turned towards the dock, almost knocking John B. out. 

“Watch it, JJ. What the fuck!” John B. said, grabbing the wood from him aggressively. 

“Damn, relax, bro. What’s got you so tense?” JJ said.

“What’s got me so tense? Hmm, I don’t know, JJ. Maybe the fact that all the fucking cops on this island are just twiddling their thumbs all day instead of looking for my dad? Your dad and how he gets away with doing whatever the fuck he wants to you? This dock? Is that enough for you?”

“Hey, it’s okay, John B.” Kie said, standing up and going over to him.

“It’s not okay, Kie! My dad’s out there and no one’s trying to get him home! And JJ’s about to get sent to Florida!” 

“Dude.” JJ said, not wanting Kie to know that. He knew Pope hadn’t told her and he didn’t want her to hear about it and get worked up if it turned out to be nothing. 

“Wait, what? Florida? Like for a trip?” Kie said, one hand on John B’s shoulder, turning to JJ. 

“Yeah, you could say that.” JJ said moodily, kicking a piece of loose wood.

“No, not a trip, Kie. The dude’s trying to send him there forever.” 

“Shit. Can’t you try to talk to him, JJ?” she suggested.

They all stared at her and she said “Okay, okay, it was just a suggestion. I know he’s an abusive asshole.”

“He’s not.” JJ said, embarrassed, and John B. scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“Wait! He is a liar though. What are the chances he’s lying?” Kie said.

“I don’t think he’s lying, Kie. He’s pretty serious about it. He’s brought it up, like, five times.” JJ said.

“I’m gonna see if my dad will let you live with us if he tries.” Kie said, hopping off the bench and going towards the restaurant. 

JJ’s eyes widened and John B. laughed. “Kie, hell no!” He said, grabbing her. 

“What? We need a back-up plan!” She said to them. 

“I’m just gonna go home every night so he shuts up, stay out of his way and bring him some beer and shit and hope that works.” JJ decided.

“Or we could slash his tires so he can’t drive you there.” John B. suggested.

“John B.” Kie said.

“What, Kie? It’s a good idea.” He said.

“That actually might work.” She answered, laughing and if it didn’t scare JJ so much he would have laughed along.

“No one’s slashing tires. At this rate, I’m gonna be the only one left here, you’ll all be living in Wadesboro.” Pope said, giving up on trying to do his homework with them and shoving his book in his bag.

“Aw, you’d miss us though.” JJ said.

“Yeah, I would. That’s the sad part.” Pope said. “I’ll meet you at six for tutoring, JJ.”

JJ’s stomach sunk, remembering that he and Pope were supposed to try to talk today. He nodded and focused on the dock, wishing that the weed would kick in faster.

“John B, my dad has a friend who goes back and forth between here and the Bahamas a lot. I’m gonna ask and see if we can get his number. He might have better info or know something about your dad that the cops don’t.” Pope said and John B. looked over hopefully. 

“That’d be amazing, Pope! Thanks, dude.” He said.

JJ felt guilty that he had done nothing to help, even though he kept saying he would. He made a mental note to ask him about Ward Cameron.

* * *

“So, the most important thing is that I’m really proud of you, JJ. You’re really, really brave.” 

“Pope, no offense and I appreciate it, but if you’re gonna be all Dr. Phil the whole time, I’m gonna have to dip. This is hard enough, man.” JJ said, sliding down against the wall of the treehouse, crossing his arms and bringing his knees into his chest. 

They had decided to meet at the treehouse for privacy, but JJ was feeling trapped in it again after last week and a long afternoon of building the dock.

“Hey, I’m just telling you how I feel. Why don’t you try? What’s the one thing you want help with the most? Or that you want to talk about?” Pope said, sitting down cross legged across from him. 

“I don’t _want_ to talk about anything. But I want to get rid of these...flashbacks? I don’t know what to call them. Sometimes when I’m asleep but also sometimes when I’m awake I’ll think of something from then and it makes me sick and angry and all this shit. It didn’t used to happen to me, only after John B. brought it all up again. But I can’t sleep most of the time.” JJ said, avoiding Pope’s eyes.

“I read that that’s normal. You suppressed it for so long. But that’s not healthy. Talking about it and working through it will help with your flashbacks. Or PTSD.”

“I don’t have PTSD, Pope. I didn’t go to war, dude.” JJ said, laughing a little.

“PTSD’s from trauma. Which is what you went through there.” Pope said and JJ felt stupid. 

“Oh.” 

“It wasn’t your fault.” Pope said and JJ crossed his arms tighter around himself, digging his fingers into his arms until he felt something.

“Ok, Dr. Pope, how can you fix me, though?” JJ said, avoiding the feelings that his words brought up. Kie had been right, the high was stronger than when he smoked and it was the only way he was able to stay and try to talk with Pope.

“We can call a hotline together? Or we can do the typing chat thing. They have trained therapists to talk to.” Pope suggested and JJ was already shaking his head before he could finish.

“No, Pope, I thought _you_ were gonna help me! I can’t talk to some random stranger!” JJ said, starting to stand up. 

“Hey, it’s fine, you don’t have to! JJ, it’s okay, it was just an idea!” Pope said, scooting over a little to block his path. JJ sat back down, trying to relax. 

“I can’t talk to anyone, Pope. It’s hard enough even being here.” JJ said, curling into himself again. He wrapped his arms around his knees, looking away.

“I get it. I was just giving you some options. Do you want to try telling me something from that time and see if we can talk it out? It can be something small, it doesn’t have to be the worst thing you remember or anything like that. But just talking will help, every website says that.” Pope said cautiously.

JJ was silent for a few moments, biting the inside of his cheek hard, tasting blood. He was trying to think about something he could tell Pope that wouldn’t make him totally disgusted by him and if he could even say any of it out loud. It hadn’t felt good when he’d told John B.

“You’re gonna be disgusted with me.” JJ said quietly, looking at Pope before looking away.

“There’s only one person I’m disgusted with and it’s not you. None of it was your fault. You can tell me anything.”

“I did stuff, Pope. Stuff that was really messed up and sick. You don’t wanna know.” He said. 

“You were forced to do anything you did, JJ. I can handle it, I just want to help.” Pope answered and JJ tried to convince himself that that could be true and that it wasn’t because he was weak and pathetic and secretly enjoyed it like the monster told him.

“Take your time.” Pope added when he stayed quiet. 

JJ tried to pick one of the least terrifying memories he could think of, not wanting to scare Pope off like he had with John B. Or like he thought he had with John B. He kept going back to the same memory. It wasn’t the worst, not by a long shot, but it was one of the first he had from that time and it was on his mind.

“One time..” He started, looking at Pope. Pope nodded encouragingly and JJ looked away again.

“One time, we went to a toy store. And my mom made it like five minutes before she had to go shoot up in the car. And she just fucking left me and him alone, like she always did. And he picked out this fucking toy truck that I was like, five years too old for. And he made me... he made me do shit to him in the bathroom for it even though I didn’t want it. He made me do that for everything. Food, shoes, clothes.” JJ said, pausing and digging his fingernails into his crossed arms. He realized what he said and freaked out.

“I’m gonna go, forget I told you that. I can’t believe I just fucking said that, I’m so fucking-” JJ was cut off when Pope gently took his arm. 

“JJ, you don’t have to leave, I promise. It’s okay and it’s good to talk about it. Please, don’t go. I think it will help if we talk a little bit about that and how it made you feel. You don’t have to talk about what he did, but how did you feel?” Pope said, and he looked anxious even though he was trying to hide it and JJ felt guilty for exposing Pope to even a slice of what he had been through. 

“Like the lowest, dirtiest, most pathetic piece of shit in the world.” JJ said seriously, leaving out that he still usually felt like that. Like he had a gaping hole inside of him that he tried to disguise but he felt like everyone could see it when they looked at him. “No offense Pope, but this really isn’t helping.”

“It’s not gonna help right away.” Pope said, but he looked unsure. “Try telling me something else and then we can stop, okay? I just think you need to stop suppressing it and get it off your chest.”

JJ thought about what was on his mind and it was mostly his fear of having to go live with his mom again.

“I’m scared my dad is really gonna make me go live with her again.” He admitted.

“Does he know?” Pope asked. 

JJ looked towards his boots, embarrassed just thinking about the other day when his dad hadn’t cared when he mentioned it. 

“Yeah. And he used to care. He promised I would never have to live with her again. But now he’s so pissed, he doesn’t care anymore. I think he’s really gonna do it, Pope. He told me yesterday that he couldn’t wait till I was gone.” 

“Fuck.” Pope said angrily and JJ raised his eyebrows. Pope barely ever said ‘fuck’.

“I’m gonna find a way out for you, JJ.” Pope said after a second. 

“How? There’s literally no way out, bro. He’s my dad, he can do whatever he wants.” JJ admitted.

“The same way we solve all of our problems. Or how I solve all of our problems. I’m going to Google it. And if that doesn’t work, we slash his tires.” 

“I’m telling John B. and Kie you said that.” JJ said, laughing a little despite his mood.

“Said what?” Pope said, pretending to be clueless. 

* * *

The next day, Kie and JJ were leaving the beach, boards under their arms on the way to her car when they were almost run over by Rafe as he pulled into the empty dirt lot where they parked.

“Damn, your face looks like shit. I can’t believe they’re letting you walk around. I thought you’d be locked up by now.” Rafe laughed at JJ through his open window before pulling into the spot next to Kie’s car. JJ immediately tensed up, ready to finally get revenge against him.

“JJ, don’t. Just ignore him and let’s get in the car.” Kie said to him before Rafe walked over to them, blocking their path. 

“You better get the fuck out of our way before I make you, Rafe.” JJ said. “You think I’m afraid of you?”

“Kiara, you’re still hanging out with this trash? I thought you would have learned your lesson after last week.” Rafe said, ignoring JJ. 

“Fuck you, Rafe. I know what you did. You’re fucking pathetic.” Kie said, unable to hold back.

“I was trying to help you out. You’re going down the wrong path, hanging out where you don’t belong. He’s dangerous. I mean, he told me he wanted to murder me last week.” Rafe said, laughing when JJ stepped closer to him. 

“Yeah, I stand by it. Try coming at me again when it’s not two against one and you don’t have someone holding me back.” 

“JJ, stop!” Kie said, grabbing his arm and pulling him back. 

“Yeah, JJ, stop. We wouldn’t want you to do something to make your little situation worse. I would hate to have to call Peterkin here.” Rafe said to him.

“Shut up, Rafe. Get the hell out of our way before _I_ make you.” Kie said, pushing past him. They walked a few steps past him towards her car before Rafe spoke up. 

“I’ll see you this weekend, JJ.” Rafe said, smirking at them.

“What the fuck are you talking about? I’m not seeing you anywhere. Unless you want to meet so I can beat your ass.” JJ said, turning back around even as Kie tried to force him forward.

“Peterkin didn’t tell you? She’s been pimping you out big time, JJ. She told anyone at the country club who needs help to sign up so you could come do some “community service” for us.” Rafe said, looking at them like it was the funniest thing in the world.

JJ felt like he’d been punched in the stomach. The fact that Peterkin would purposefully tell people at the country club of all places about his situation so that people like Rafe and the Camerons could make him do shit for them was beyond hurtful.

“You’re lying, Rafe, I saw the note too, you asshole. It doesn’t say your name, JJ. It’s just a tiny note on the bulletin board when you walk in. Trust this loser to get off on it.” Kie said. 

“Everyone knows it’s him, Kiara. Well, I gotta go, but I’ll have lots of little jobs for you to do at my house, JJ. Don’t worry.”

“It’s your dad’s house, loser.” Kie said as he walked away. JJ was too angry to say anything, watching him walk off towards the beach. He finally snapped out of it and went to go after him, seeing red but Kie yanked him back. 

“No, JJ! Stop! You’ll actually be in juvie if you go after him!” She said and Rafe must have heard because he turned back and laughed before walking away.

JJ kicked Kie’s car, pretending it didn’t hurt his foot and angrily strapped his board to her roof before grabbing hers. They got in the car, Kie speeding off, almost hitting Rafe’s car. 

“What the fuck! Why would Peterkin do that to me? And why didn’t you tell me that my fucking services were being offered at your Kook country club?” JJ said as she pulled onto the road. 

“Okay, first of all, why don’t you tell Peterkin that Rafe did that to your face and you can’t go near their house? And second of all, it’s a fucking tiny piece of paper that no one looked at but Rafe. I only saw it because I was waiting for my mom to get her coat near the board.”

“I can’t tell her he did this to me! She’ll go to him and he’ll rat on us about the blackmail and whose side will she take? I’ll be in worse trouble.” JJ said, angry about the injustice.

“Okay, okay, relax, JJ! I’m trying to help!” Kie said. “Maybe John B. can go with you to his house? Or Pope? I would offer but with Sarah and everything…” 

JJ shook his head, rolling the window down and pulling out his vape. “I can’t, Kie. Peterkin wouldn’t let me and that would probably make it worse. I’ll probably be in Florida by this weekend anyway.” 

“You’re not going anywhere. I think you should tell Peterkin the truth, but if you won’t, just tell her that you have problems with Rafe so it won’t be a good idea for you to go to his house.”

“Yeah, that’ll work. This is Peterkin, Kie. She ordered me and John B. Happy Meals after locking us up and then made us pay for them. The lady’s crazy. I mean, Happy Meals? We outgrew that ten years ago!”

“That was nice of her.” Kie answered. 

“She made us pay for them! And she picked our Happy Meal! And when JB said we weren’t little kids, she said we were!” He said and Kie laughed at him.

“She doesn’t care what I say or what I want. She’ll just say I’m trying to get out of it and make me spend more time there.” He continued.

“You’ve got to try, JJ. Just be honest with her, she’s not evil.” Kie said, stopping at the top of John B’s driveway so he could drop his board off and she wouldn’t hit the roosters. 

“I’m sorry, I thought you just said Peterkin’s not evil.” JJ said, pretending to have a heart attack at the thought.

“Yeah, I did.” Kie said.

“That lady is straight up evil, Kie. The definition. She’s a cop.” He said, before getting his board and heading down the driveway, putting his board on John B’s porch. He gagged when he saw John B. and Madison making out through the window and ran back to tell Kie.

“John B’s in there macking on Madison.” He reported back faithfully. 

“Gross.” Kie said as she floored it to get away.

“I don’t want to go home.” He admitted as they drove.

“I don’t want you to either, but if you listen to your dad’s stupid ass directions this week, hopefully he’ll cool down enough to stop threatening Florida.”

“If I get to stay, we’re getting Rafe back, right?” JJ said, getting angry thinking about him again.

“Of-fucking-course. Even if it’s just us, super sneaky style.” Kie said, angry too.

“Aw, I love you, Kie. In a tectonic way.” JJ said, confused when she laughed.

“You mean platonic, JJ. Tectonic is for earthquakes, remember? You always mix those up.” She said.

“Platonic, tectonic, who cares. You get my point. And my platonic love.” 

“Lucky me.” Kie laughed. 

* * *

The next morning, JJ found himself on The Phantom with his dad, coat and hat on, a cooler full of beer at his feet as they sped off into the ocean to go fishing as far out as they could go. 

His dad was in a good mood, telling him that he’d write him a note for school and drop him off later so he wouldn’t get in trouble for skipping the morning and they had gotten in the car before the sun was even up. 

JJ never questioned it when his dad changed moods, wanting to soak up every second of it to get him through all of the rough and painful times. Part of him was worried that his dad was just taking him so he could have one last laugh at him before he sent him away, but he tried to push that down.

He shifted, zipping his coat up higher on his neck from where he sat on the edge, one hand on the railing. His dad looked over and told him to take over at the wheel so he could relax and JJ got up happily, excited to be allowed to drive and see how fast they could go.

Luke got a beer and laughed at JJ’s excitement, squeezing him on the shoulder as he passed him. JJ convinced himself not to care when he saw him take a little orange pill bottle out and swallow a few with his beer. If his dad wasn’t going to be sober, that was the most harmless option. Anything but coke.

He told him to cut the motor off once they were far out, the shore just a tiny line in the distance. JJ anchored them and set up his fishing rod, excited to see what he could catch and happy that his dad wanted to spend time with him.

An hour later, his dad was definitely high as shit, stumbling over to sit on the bench, feet stretched out on the cooler. He cheered JJ on when he finally felt a tug on his line, reeling it in and pulling a foot long striped bass onto the boat.

“That’s my boy!” Luke said, laughing and JJ beamed back at him. He tried not to listen to the voice in his head that told him how pathetic he was to want his dad’s approval. How pathetic it was that he let him do whatever he wanted to him and then just forgave him in a second. How weak he was to smile at him and fish with him when he was still threatening to get rid of him.

“Grab a beer.” He said to JJ once he had taken care of the fish, moving his feet so he could open the cooler. JJ smiled and went over before hesitating. It was probably only nine in the morning and he had school after.

“I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t cause I have school, Dad.” He said, dropping the lid.

“You wanna skip? I know that shit’s boring.”

JJ couldn’t resist an offer to skip school, even with Pope’s voice in his head telling him that he couldn’t afford it. “Yeah, I wanna skip!” He said.

“Actually, fuck that, I’m gonna be a dad and say you gotta go. And you gotta listen when you’re there, you hear me? I don’t want to hear any more excuses for why you can’t read at your age.”

JJ deflated slightly, face burning in embarrassment, good mood dampened. He wanted to tell him that they weren’t excuses, he literally couldn’t help it, but his dad wouldn’t understand or care. He never had.

“Look, listen... I wanted to talk to you.” Luke said to him, standing up and stumbling over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. JJ felt the weight of it and knew he was using it to hold himself up more than he was to be fatherly.

“I know I went a little far with this shit after the cops caught you.” He said, looking at JJ and he saw his eyes go down to his neck. JJ nodded a little bit before looking away, shame rising up.

“It’s just, sometimes I get so pissed at you, you know? I just see red cause you act so fucking stupid.” He continued and JJ nodded again. He knew that. 

“You know I love you, right? So, stop doing stupid shit, you hear me? I don’t like having to do that shit to you.” He said, putting his other hand on JJ’s shoulder before pulling him into a hug. He hugged him back after a second, ignoring the voice in his head telling him that he shouldn’t accept it.

“I’m sorry, Dad.” He said, feeling pathetic. His dad pulled back, patting him on the shoulder and ruffling up his hair before walking back over to the bench near the wheel, stumbling a little as the boat rocked with the ocean. 

JJ decided that his dad was definitely faded enough and harmless enough that he could try to get out of going with his mom or Mimi.

“Are you still gonna make me go to Florida?” He asked.

“Shit, you’re not going anywhere. You never were. You’re my boy! I just said that shit to scare you cause you pissed me off. I’ll tell you right now- I’m not gonna let that bitch take you ever again. Or her nosy mom.” Luke said. 

JJ let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. The part of him that was angry that his dad had done that to him was overpowered quickly by the relief.

“Take us back, you got school, don’t you?” His dad said. JJ went over and started pulling the anchor up as Luke started telling some random story from last weekend at the salvage yard.

His dad was laughing and JJ told his own story about when he, Pope and Kie saved the roosters from Uncle Larry. His dad was high as shit so he thought it was hilarious, laughing and almost falling off the bench when JJ started the boat. He couldn’t help but laugh back.

He thought about how this was it. 

This was why he stuck with his dad.

Because they loved each other and because for every fifty awful times, there was one good time and when it was good it was really good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The worst apology ever? Actually no one would count that as an apology except for Luke and JJ...more like an attempt at justification for something you can't justify.
> 
> Next chapter, an adult is going to (finally) report it...but which adult?
> 
> Thanks for reading ❤️️


	22. Life Itself

“I’m here to see Sheriff Peterkin.” JJ said, fingers tapping anxiously on the counter at the Sheriff's office. He was pretty sure no one in his bloodline had ever spent so much time willingly coming to a police station before and he didn’t like it at all.

“She doesn’t have time for that. She left this for you.” The cop said, passing JJ a paper with what he assumed was some kind of schedule for the weekend. He saw some names and times but didn’t bother looking too hard. 

“But I have to talk to her.” He said, wondering who he even was anymore, begging to talk to Peterkin of all people. He and Kie had decided that he needed to tell her that he couldn’t be around Rafe and see if that worked, even though he wasn't holding his breath. 

“She has a job, kid. She’s not just some kind of babysitter for you. Do your community service and don’t get in trouble again. Capeesh?” 

“No, not capeesh. I need to tell her something.” JJ said, clicking one of their pens rapidly.

“Look, if you really need to, tell me and I’ll write it down for her.” He said, picking up a pen uninterestedly. 

JJ looked around at the five other people in the waiting room and knew he couldn’t say what he wanted to say with them listening. Or to the cop. He turned to go, but looked down at the schedule and saw the Cameron's name on it and knew he would be fucked if he didn’t do something. 

He walked towards the hallway where he knew her office was before the cop could stand up and made it there right as he caught up and grabbed his arm. JJ jolted back, trying to shove him off, but he grabbed him and shoved him face first into the wall, pinning his wrists back with one of his hands. He tried to calm down but couldn’t help the way his vision blurred in panic.

“What’s going on?” He heard Peterkin say.

“This little punk wouldn’t listen. He wanted to talk to you, I said you were busy and he could leave a message and he just charged back here! Want me to call his parents?” He asked and JJ tried to turn towards Peterkin from where he was being pinned.

“Nah, he’s just a clueless kid. What’s the problem now, chief?” She said, gesturing for the cop to let him go. 

“I need to talk to you.” JJ said, rubbing his wrists as the cop let go, turning towards her, resisting the urge to get pissed over being called clueless.

She gestured for him to come in and he couldn’t resist giving the cop a smug smirk. 

“Let me guess. You got your schedule and you can’t fit it all in with all the studying and hard work you do?” She said, sitting down at her desk and leaning back in her chair. 

“No- it’s not that. But thanks for noticing how hard I work, Sheriff. It’s just...I can’t work for the Cameron's.” 

“Why not?” She said, leaning forward.

“Rafe and I...he...let’s just say it wouldn’t end well, okay?” JJ said, struggling for how to say it without incriminating himself. 

“No, I need more than that. You’re not getting out of your community service because of some little teenage rivalry.” 

He didn’t know what he could say without getting her too interested so he just shrugged. “I’m trying to tell you so no shit goes down.”

“See, you can’t just barge in here and demand exceptions and work to be taken away from you without a real reason. It sounds like a good chance for you to learn how to control yourself.” She said and JJ almost snorted at the thought. 

He stood up. “Forget it, I’ll go there Sunday, he just has it out for me, but it’s okay. I’ll get the list done, don’t worry. See you never.” He tried to walk towards the door. 

“Sit.” She said and JJ couldn’t help but debate whether or not he should just run for it. After all, he had come in here on his own. Because he was stupid and didn’t think things through and couldn’t deal with talking, he walked away, not wanting to stay there another second. 

He made it a few streets away, confident that she wasn’t going to follow him, when her car pulled up slowly next to him as he vaped. 

“Are you kidding me? You’re like a fly I can’t get rid of and then you leave right when I’m getting used to your buzzing.” She said, window down. “No Cameron's. But all those other people? You better be right on time for them on Sunday and if I hear one complaint, anything other than a five star review, it’ll be eight weekends instead of four. You hear me?” She said and he nodded right away, accidentally releasing vapor right in her face when he exhaled. 

“Shit. Sorry, Sheriff Peterkin. Yep, I understand. Five stars, nothing else.” He said and she rolled her eyes before driving away slowly. He thought he heard her mumble under her breath about hating teenagers but he was just relieved to get out of the Cameron's. 

He shuddered from spending so much time near her lately and went to tell Kie that their plan had worked, hoping that she was still up to make pot brownies at the Chateau like they had agreed as his reward for telling Peterkin. 

* * *

“What’s up, bro? Why’re you going so early?” JJ asked as John B. came out of his room Saturday morning without looking at him and started grabbing his stuff to leave. “Dude?” He said again when John B. didn’t answer. 

“What, JJ?” John B. said, looking for his keys. 

“Our shift isn’t for, like, an hour.”

John B. stopped and looked confused before realizing what he was talking about. “I quit working at Heyward’s. I’m going to go work on Ward’s stupid yacht. He gave me the job.”

“Wait, what? When? What did you have to do for him? Did he pay you? Did you tell Heywa-”

“JJ, just shut up! It’s not a big deal, I’ll see you later.” John B. said impatiently, cutting off his questions. 

“Wait! If you’re not working there, I sure as hell don’t want to. Gimme your phone.” JJ said, getting up.

“We can’t just both quit! Where would you even work? Peterkin is all over you, if you’re gonna quit, you need another job all lined up.” John B. said, pushing him away when he tried to take his phone.

“Come on, dude! Heyward’s totally gonna snitch about my fucking face! At least let me try to call out sick!” JJ said, shoving him back, almost getting the phone. His bruises would be lighter in a few days, but right now they were in the worst stage of healing and he knew Heyward would notice.

“He should snitch! Maybe then your stupid ass dad will finally learn to keep his hands off you. I’m going to work, I’ll see you later.” John B. said, pushing away and walking towards the door.

“Come on, man, if you leave I have no phone! At least let me call Pope or Kie!”

John B. stopped and JJ knew he had him. He turned and barely held the phone out before JJ smirked and grabbed it. 

“Okay, but no calling Heyward! JJ? Where are you going?” John B. said as JJ bolted out the door, laughing as he climbed up one of the trees that he knew John B. was scared to climb after a bad fall in the fifth grade. 

“Really mature.” He called up to JJ who already had the phone up to his ear, big smile on his face at tricking John B.

“What is it now? Let me guess, you want an advance on your last paycheck?” Heyward’s voice came in his ear and JJ felt guilty for a second.

“It’s actually JJ, Heyward.”

“Ah, shit. Don’t even try. You better be down here at ten, no excuses. I’m not lying on that work form Peterkin wants each week for you. You’re more trouble than any other employee.” Heyward grumbled.

“I need to quit though. Sorry. I’m gonna work with my dad.”

“I can’t deal with this right now. You better bring a damn good dessert to dinner on Wednesday.” Heyward said before JJ heard the dial tone. He looked down from the tree where John B. was standing, arms crossed and eyebrows raised and dropped his phone suddenly down to him, not caring when he barely caught it. The only reason he didn’t feel badly is because he knew Heyward didn’t actually need him and had just given him the job to be nice.

“I quit, too. I’m gonna work with my dad at the salvage yard.” JJ said, climbing down a branch before jumping. 

John B. grabbed his arm and he yanked it back out of instinct. “Don’t do this, JJ.” 

“Do what? Change jobs? I’m fifteen, bro. I’m not working at Heyward’s anymore. Big deal.” JJ said, feeling in his pocket for his keys.

“You really quit just to avoid Heyward asking you questions? And you’re gonna go work with the same abusive asshole who's making him ask questions?”

JJ saw red, tired of his friends calling his dad abusive. He didn’t see it that way. They didn’t see the whole picture, they didn’t understand.

“Yeah, I did. Just like you quit to work with an asshole. Get off me, bro.” JJ said, shoving John B. and getting on his bike, revving it up over John B.’s voice and speeding off. 

He spent the rest of the day smoking weed with his cousin and avoiding everything else. 

* * *

JJ stood outside of the same big, white house that he and John B. had stolen a shit-ton of cash from a few months before during the ‘MILFS Only Garden Party’, dreading walking up and ringing their big, fancy doorbell. He had gotten high, but still didn’t think he was going to survive the day. 

His only hope was that they had been drunk enough not to remember him or John B.’s stunt from the party. 

He knocked on the door, feeling like some kind of broke girl scout, relaxing when he heard heels clicking over to the door instead of whoever the husband was. 

The door swung open and JJ was brought inside by one of the Kook women he recognized from the party and around town before she got the maid and had her take him outside to do some work on one of their boats that was docked. He stopped following her outside when he passed their dining room and saw Mr. C and Kie’s mom sitting at the dining room table, having lunch with the other Kook couple. 

Mr. and Mrs. Carrera both looked up at him but he walked away before either of them could say anything to him, embarrassed since they knew why he was here. 

He barely listened as the lady explained what they wanted him to fix, nodding and hopping on board to try to focus on it instead of how he was the stupid fuck up forced to fix Kook yachts for free now, but his mind wandered back to Mr. C and how they hadn’t been face to face since before he had run away. At least not up close. 

He worked for a while with no interruptions, immersed in the project. He always liked working on engines and motors and figuring out what was wrong and it did take his mind off of most of his problems when he was doing it. He jumped and banged his head on the table they had in the cabin when he heard a knock on the doorframe. 

He looked up and wasn’t even surprised to see Mr. C standing there, looking slightly awkward. JJ looked at him for a second before looking back at the motor quickly, back to him, continuing what he had been doing. 

“I didn’t know you were in the boat business. I would have had you come over and help us get our boat up and running.” Mr. C said and JJ almost rolled his eyes. 

“I’m pretty sure Kie could handle that. She knows everything about motors. More than me.” He said. 

“That’s probably true.” Mr. C said, sitting down and watching him.

JJ didn’t offer anything else, not wanting to talk to him or give him the chance to notice his bruises. He knew he only had a few minutes left here before his next job so he figured he could wait him out. 

“I know you’ve been avoiding me since everything that happened. And I want you to know, I’m not mad at you. Anna and I were worried about you out there. We just didn’t want you getting Kiara involved. She’s our baby and we want the best for her.” Mr. C said. 

“I didn’t mean to get her involved.” JJ said after a second. He really didn’t. He hadn’t even meant to get himself involved, let alone any of his friends. 

“I know, but it happened and if I'm being honest, it worries us.” Mr. C said. JJ didn’t answer and he continued. “I’m glad you’re doing some service around the island, that shows a lot of character.” 

JJ snorted. “As if I had a choice.” He said, standing up and putting the tools away. “I gotta go to my next place. I think John B. and I are gonna be finished the dock this week, though.” 

He finally turned around, keeping his head down as he tried to walk out. 

“Wait. What the hell happened to your face?” Mr. C said, standing up and trying to approach him. 

“I got jumped. I guess I should make an announcement on the island letting everyone know. I’ll see you around.” JJ said, hopping off the boat and onto their dock before he could be stopped. 

“JJ, look at me. Those are serious bruises.” He said, but he didn’t say more and JJ knew he was trying to figure out how to ask him about his dad without actually bringing it up directly. 

“It was Rafe Cameron. He and one of his friends did it to me.” He said to throw him off. 

“Rafe Cameron did that to you? Did you tell the police?” Mr. C said, eyebrows raised. 

“No. They wouldn’t care anyways.” JJ said, taking a backwards step away. 

“Of course they would!” Mr. C said. 

“C’mon, Mr. C. You grew up on The Cut. You know how that goes.” JJ said, but it was the wrong thing to say when his expression darkened. 

“I also know what it’s like to blame someone else and make up really convincing stories to cover up for who really hurt you.” Mr. C said. “And spending time worrying about those stories and who was gonna see through them.”

JJ didn’t expect it to go in that direction, thinking that he would throw him off by directly naming Rafe so he took a few more steps backwards before turning around. 

“That must have sucked. But that’s what really happened. See you this week, Mr. C! We’re gonna actually earn our food this time, I swear!” He called over his shoulder as he practically ran back inside to tell them that he was leaving. 

He heard Mr. C call after him but he ignored him, hating Peterkin for sending him to Figure Eight. He spent the rest of the day split between one more Kook mansion where the woman just seemed to want someone to talk to and a horrible job on The Cut that involved him rebuilding a shed.

He made fifty bucks from the Kook though, so at least the grass was a little greener on the other side. 

* * *

JJ and John B. had always fought like brothers. One second they were pissed at each other and the next, it was like nothing had happened. So when Pope told them that he got the number from his dad, JJ was over at the Chateau after his community service, eating John B.’s stale pretzels in Kie’s ear loudly as they all stood over Pope’s phone.

“Do you have to eat the loudest food ever right in my ear, JJ?” Kie complained after a minute of sticking it out. 

“I’m fucking starving, Kie. Sorry if I can’t find a quiet food to eat.” JJ fired back and John B. shushed them as the man answered. 

Pope explained who he was and went through all of the customary, “How’s school and how are your parents?’ questions before John B. had waved his hands frantically enough that he switched topics abruptly. 

“I was actually calling for my friend, John B. Routledge. You might have heard about his dad, Big John? He’s been missing for a few months now and he was last seen out near where you're usually stationed.” Pope said. 

“Of course I’ve heard about Big John! I gave the cops everything I knew though. I have a copy of the records from that week though if you can get your daddy’s boat out here and get it from me. We’re not far from the Banks right now, but we leave in the morning.” He said and John B. lit up.

“That’d be great. We can be there tonight.” Pope said and it showed what a good friend he was that he agreed to meet him on a Sunday night. He wrote down the details before hanging up. 

“This could be good, John B!” Kie said, pulling out her keys. “I’m gonna go home and get some stuff and make up some excuse for my parents. You coming, Pope?” 

“We all need to get notes cause we might be late for school tomorrow. JJ, you especially. You can’t miss anything.” Pope said, following Kie. “We’ll meet at the store at six, okay?”

“Aye aye, captain.” JJ said, saluting Pope. He had no intention of getting a note from his dad.

“Here, forge my dad’s signature and shit.” He said, shoving a piece of paper at John B. after they left.

“What should I say? My son wanted to come to school but he was too high to get out of bed?” John B. laughed, testing out his Luke signature. 

“Your jokes suck. Just say, ‘my kid’s sick, please excuse him’ or some shit like that.” JJ said, hovering over him as John B. wrote like his dad. He was the best at forging notes. “Wait, he wouldn’t say please.” 

“If I wanted to sound like him it’d be more like ‘He missed school because I beat the shit out of him, it’s all his fault, blah, blah, blah.” John B. said, getting annoyed at the idea.

“Shut up. He said he was sorry, dude. Just write it.” JJ said, not wanting to get into it. 

“Oh, as long as he said he was sorry. Then I guess it’s okay that your neck's still purple from him literally trying to murder you.” John B. said, but he wrote the note anyways, shoving it into JJ’s chest and walking into his room to pack. 

JJ tried to ignore him, knowing he was pathetic for accepting his dad’s apology, but helpless to do anything else. He knew it was wrong on some level, but he couldn’t help but accept it. His dad had been nice to him the past few days, too. 

He shoved the note and some random food from John B.’s kitchen into his bag, focusing on the night ahead instead of that. Besides, if Peterkin didn’t care when she noticed, why should he?

* * *

“You got the goods?” JJ asked Kie as she jumped on right as they were pulling out.

She rolled her eyes. “Hello to you, too. Yes, I got them.”

“The you-know-what’s, Kie?”

“Duh. We only spent three hours making them and you reminded me ten times.” She replied, putting down her cooler and bag on the floor of the boat once she had climbed on.

“What are you guys talking about?” Pope asked, looking between them. John B. wasn’t paying attention, looking out at the dark ocean as Pope started guiding them out.

“Snacks, bro. Don’t want to starve out here.” JJ said, opening the cooler and pulling out a brownie. “Hell yeah. You want one, Pope?”

Pope narrowed his eyes, looking at the brownie. “Seriously? Is that a pot brownie?”

Kie laughed, stealing the other half of JJ’s. “I don’t know, why don’t you try it and find out?” She held it out to him. 

“We thought you’d be happy, Pope. No one can arrest us for these.” JJ added.

“Yes they can! Can we not go one night?” Pope said, throwing his hands up. 

JJ just shook a brownie in his direction before shoving it in his mouth and talking while eating. “You need to relax, man.” He tried to say but it came out as gibberish. Pope got the point and flipped him off. JJ laughed before shoving another brownie in his mouth. 

Kie noticed John B. and went over to him, putting her elbow on his shoulder. “I think this is gonna be good, John B.”

“Me too, Kie. I feel like we’re finally gonna get somewhere.” He said, smiling at her. “Give me one, JJ.” He said, sitting up on the counter next to Pope. 

“Really? All three of you are gonna be stoned while I’m driving us this far out at night?”

“I had half of one, Pope. I’ll help you. JJ stop, that’s way too many!” Kie said as JJ ate his fourth one. “You’re gonna be down on the floor unable to move, dumbass.” 

“Please. As if, Kie. I can handle some weak little brownies.” JJ said, eating another. Pope raised his eyebrows and worked with Kie to figure out where they were going.

“I’m surprised you’re eating one.” JJ said to John B. He had thought he would be at the wheel, taking them full steam ahead at the chance to get information on his dad. He hadn’t expected him to be getting high, kicking it back on the ride over. 

“I’m so fucking worked up, I need to relax. This could be it, JJ! The lead we need to finally find him!”

JJ nodded, stopping to guzzle a Gatorade Kie had brought in her cooler. He burped and ignored her disgusted look. 

“I hope this is it, bro.” He said to John B. 

The rest of the night was a blur to JJ, who definitely ate way too many brownies. He got sick from the combination of that and the roughness of the ocean as far out as they were. He could barely move from how high he was, the rocking of the boat putting him over the edge. He remembered laying on a bed on the man’s boat, Kie and Pope with him, but he spent most of the time dry heaving or laying with his eyes closed. 

By the time it passed and they were back on Heyward’s boat, they were all in a mood, except John B. They had the records from the boats that had been nearby, but after a long night of being stuck talking with the man waiting for JJ to stop puking his guts out, they had seen better days. 

“Well, that was fun. Thanks, JJ.” Kie said as they got closer to Kildare. “I love getting stuck on random boats overnight, making small talks with pirates.”

“Hey, don’t blame me. It’s not my fault I got sick. It was bumpy.” He said in his defense, slumped against the wall of the cabin.

“He’s not a pirate, Kie. And you were high, JJ, not seasick.” Pope said.

"It was the combo, bro." JJ said and Pope ignored him. “At least we got the information, though. We can try to work on it tonight, right John B?” 

John B. was looking them over and barely looked up before answering. “Nah, I’m gonna give them to Ward since I work on his yacht now. He told me he would help if I got any leads.”

“I’m sorry. I thought you just said that you were gonna give them to Ward ‘Kook Daddy” Cameron. Our hard work. That we just spent literal hours getting.” Kie said to him.

“Dude. Let’s at least try and contact the people on our own first.” JJ said, cracking an eye open before shutting it when he felt nauseous again. 

“We’re just broke teenagers. Except Kie. What are we gonna do with this? I don’t have weeks and months anymore. I’m gonna give it to someone who actually can get something out of it.” John B. said, rolling up the paper and putting it carefully in his backpack.

Kie looked at JJ and Pope for backup and Pope spoke up. “Actually, that’s probably a good point. I mean, what the hell can we do? Ward has money and connections. If there was ever a time to use that, it’s now.” 

“Kook wannabes.” JJ said under his breath with no real anger, crossing his arms. 

“Call me what you want, there’s a time to use them and now is the time.” John B. said, kicking JJ’s boot off of his seat. “Besides, you’ll be a Kook wannabe too when you see how much money he pays me.” He flashed a wad of cash at JJ.

“No way! Gimme.” JJ said, reaching for it. John B. shoved it back in his pocket. 

“Nope. It’s mine. Make your own money.” 

"Just wait. I bet next weekend I'll get some Kook moms to make it rain on me." JJ said.

"Gross." Kie said.

“Well you quit your job so there goes your money.” Pope said. “My dad’s pissed, by the way. He wanted me to make sure you had a replacement job for real but I told him he could corner you Wednesday at dinner.” 

“Awesome. Thanks, Pope. I love being cornered by your dad.” JJ said sarcastically, standing up too fast when they came close to the dock and feeling nauseous, leaning over with one hand on his stomach. 

“Get me off of this boat. There’s only so many times I can watch you dry heave.” Kie said, pushing off of his back to boost herself up to the railing to help dock them.

“Don’t bring so many brownies next time, Kie. Some of us can’t resist shoving everything in our mouths like a toddler.” John B. said, patting JJ on the back.

“I was hungry. No one brought any actual snacks. What was I supposed to do?” He said, straightening up and hopping off the boat. 

“We literally had so many real snacks.” Pope said, looking at his phone. “Perfect, we’re actually gonna be mostly on time for school. I didn’t want to miss too much.”

“Nerd. We literally have notes excusing us. We’re not going to school today.” JJ said, looking at John B. to see if he still wanted to skip since they had forged notes. 

“We don’t have notes. We had to make up some bullshit excuses for our parents for this. You think my parents actually would be cool with me going on an overnight boat trip and missing school?” Kie said. 

“Why’d you say we needed notes then?” JJ asked, confused. 

“So you would get one. Duh.” Pope said. 

JJ shrugged. “Well, I have one so I ain’t going to school, that’s for sure. I’m gonna go to the Chateau, sleep and then crush John B. out on the waves.”

“JJ, no. You need to go to school. You’re literally so behind.” Pope said, but he knew it was a lost cause when John B. fist bumped JJ. 

“Just give up, Pope. You know they can’t help themselves. I’d skip too if I didn’t have a stupid project due today. See you guys!” Kie said, walking towards her car. 

John B. and JJ went towards the van before turning to Pope. “You sure you want to go to school, Pope?” John B. said, fighting off JJ for the keys. 

“Let me think. Go to school and actually get into college or mess around with you guys having burping contests and watching you get high?” Pope said. 

“No one’s getting high.” JJ said. “We can surf later.” 

“Yeah because you already got as high as you could. Drop me off at school, John B.” Pope said, getting into the front seat before JJ. “Dumbasses.” 

* * *

By Wednesday, most of JJ’s bruises had faded enough that he felt confident that the Heyward’s weren’t going to notice the difference between the original ones and the ones his dad had added, faded to a light purple and green. He had removed the bandana a few days ago, tired of looking like a wannabe John B. and was feeling confident that no one was going to say anything. 

“Can’t you run in? I’m fucking tired.” He said to John B. when he pulled them up in front of their shitty little grocery store on the way to the Heyward’s for dinner. Heyward always made them bring dessert, even though Mrs. Heyward insisted that he didn’t need more and that they had enough. 

“No, I did it last time. Ms. Linda always tries to hit on me. You go, you look like you're thirteen so she won’t try anything.” John B. said, putting the car in park and reclining his seat. 

“Oh, _I_ look like I’m thirteen? Says the dude who has yet to actually need to shave.” JJ said, actually offended. He thought he looked older than John B.

“As if you need to.” was all John B. said as he turned his full attention to taking a selfie for Madison. JJ gagged before grabbing the door handle. 

“Well, if you’re gonna just take selfies like a douche or whatever, I’ll go. I don’t have money though so it’ll have to be a five finger deal.” He said, knowing that would get John B.’s attention. 

He let out a huge sigh as if having to stop taking douchey selfies was actually hard and reached in his pocket, shoving a crumpled up fifty dollar bill into JJ’s hands.

“Damn, Ward really does pay you like that? You’re a straight up Kook now, bro.” JJ said, eyebrows raised. He held the bill up to the light to see if it checked out. 

“Just get out and go get the dessert, JJ. And make it fancy. I mean, we both quit on Heyward this week so get what he likes.” John B. said as JJ hopped out of the van. 

“No deal. You just gave me fifty bucks. I’m getting him some Oreos and using the rest to get my phone back and some kush. You’re stupid.” JJ said, slamming the door shut on John B’s protests. 

Twenty minutes later they were rolling up to Pope’s with two packs of Oreos and an annoyed John B. JJ had hid the rest of the money in his waistband like a stripper and John B. had been too grossed out to reach for it. 

“Help me out if they say anything about my face, okay?” JJ said as they walked up to the front door. 

John B. rolled his eyes but he didn’t say no so JJ took that as a yes and shoved an Oreo in his mouth as they walked in. 

“What’d you bring?” Heyward asked as soon as he saw them, as animated as he ever got. He looked disappointed when he saw the Oreos before opening the pack to eat one. “Damn, you actually brought over an opened pack? That’s just straight disrespectful.”

“I was hungry.” JJ said through his Oreo, trying to reach over and grab another. Heyward blocked him, turning fully around. “Damn. It’s like that’s all you get to eat.” 

“He’s spending our dessert money on something else, Heyward. I tried to get him to get some fancy shit since we both quit on you, but he was too selfish.” John B. said, smirking when Heyward glared at JJ. 

“Both of y’all will be back.” Heyward said and Pope came running down the steps. 

“What’d you guys bring?” He said, groaning when he saw the Oreos. “I told you to bring cake!” 

“Hey, it was this or brownies.” JJ said, laughing when Pope rolled his eyes.

“I would have taken a brownie.” Heyward said and John B. and JJ laughed.

“Where’s your better half?” JJ said as they all walked into the kitchen and didn’t see Mrs. Heyward. They all took it as a sign to keep shoving Oreos into their mouths. 

“Watch it. She’s grabbing some pizzas on her way home from work. You wanna explain why both of you quit on me in one week? What’re you, conjoined twins?” Heyward said, sitting down at the table.

“John B. dipped to go full Kook.” JJ said, leaving himself out on purpose. He was interrupted when Pope’s mom came in from the back door, carrying three pizza boxes. He went over to help her and she smiled at him. 

“Thanks, honey. How are you boys?” She said, putting her purse down and getting out plates. 

“Oh, you know. Tired from all this studying and hard work.” JJ said, ignoring Pope disbelieving snort. “We brought Oreos.” 

“And you all already ate half, I can see.” She said, rolling her eyes with a smile. “Can we at least sit down and pretend to have a civilized dinner?”

John B. took the plates and passed them around before he and Pope leapt on the pizza as soon as Mrs. Heyward put the box down on the table. 

“You guys have no chill.” JJ said, taking a piece once they had backed off. 

“Sorry I didn’t eat ten cookies on the way here.” John B. said through a mouthful of pizza. 

“Chew first, sweetie.” Mrs. Heyward said to him before really looking at them. “Wait a minute.” She said, and her tone change made JJ look up. He saw her gaze locked on his neck and he panicked, shrugging a little to get his sweatshirt to ride up but it was too late. 

“What happened to your neck?” She practically yelled, getting up and reaching for him. He flinched back out of instinct, putting a hand up to stop her from touching him before getting up. 

He knew John B, Pope and Heyward were all looking but he tried to focus on Mrs. Heyward only and his lie. He was pissed that he had just reacted like that in front of her. 

“You already know, Mrs. Heyward. Remember, I got jumped?” He said, but he was nervous and looked at John B. who looked away. He had told JJ it didn’t look bad anymore and that they wouldn’t notice. He shouldn’t have listened to him.

“You didn’t have that when you left here!” She said, getting closer and moving her head to see them. He didn’t make it easy, forcing himself to sit back down and hunching over his plate. 

“I did, they just hadn’t really shown up yet. Can we eat? Who’d you replace us with, Heyward? You miss us already?” 

“Do you think I’m stupid, sweetie? They most certainly would have shown up when you were here! What happened?” She said and JJ knew she was really upset. He felt guilty but he didn’t know what else to do. 

Pope stepped in, looking at JJ and then his mom. “Mom, let’s just eat, okay? He told you what happened.” He said and JJ knew he was giving her a look and realized with a spike of worry that he would need to corner Pope and make sure he wasn’t going to spill his secrets to his mom.

“Let me see, JJ.” She said, but she didn’t try to reach out again and he stayed hunched over himself a little bit, knowing he looked pathetic but having no other real choice. 

“It was all Rafe, Mrs. Heyward, I swear. We had another fight and he's crazy.” He lied, trying to change his story.

He heard some weird movements and figured that Heyward and Pope and her were mouthing things or shaking their heads or giving each other looks and he didn’t even care, he just wanted her to drop it so they could eat and he could get the hell out of there. If it wasn’t going to make him look worse, he would have just bolted as soon as it got tense.

“This pizza’s the shit. Where’d you get it, Mrs. H?” John B. said, burping and guzzling soda, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. JJ appreciated him pulling out his grossest table manners to help change the topic.

The four of them started having a somewhat forced conversation that JJ slowly forced himself to join in on, avoiding both Heywards’ eyes. As soon as they were done, he threw his and John B’s plates in the dishwasher and bolted for the door, dragging John B. with him and thanking them over his shoulder as they left. 

“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!” JJ said as he got into the van. He was tapping his foot rapidly against the floor before he threw himself into the back to roll a joint. 

“It’s fine, JJ. Chill. Not that it’d be a bad thing if she called it in. Even if it just scared your fucking dad.” John B. said as he started the car.

“Stop saying shit like that, John B! You don’t fucking know what you’re talking about, man.” JJ said, rolling the fastest joint he ever had. 

“Yeah, I do. You don’t know what _you’re_ talking about.” John B. said back.

“I knew we shouldn’t have gone there tonight! But no, you just had to get free food.” He said before sealing the joint and pulling out his lighter. 

“Just tell everyone it was Rafe. No one can prove it. As much as I want your dumbass dad to go down, we all know he won’t if you deny it.” John B. said and JJ felt all of his anger and panic from the situation take over. 

“Shut up, John B! You don’t get it, he’s my dad! It’s not just a game!” He said, debating whether he should just jump out of the van as John B. rolled up to a stop sign.

“I don’t think it’s a game! He could have killed you! He could the next time! And he doesn’t even notice or care!” John B. said back. 

“Maybe there won’t be a next time. We’re getting along now and if I just stop doing stupid shit and getting caught, he won’t have to do it.” JJ said more to himself but he knew he said the wrong thing when John B. turned a corner aggressively and he almost fell over.

“ _Have to do it?_ How does he _have to_ beat the shit out of you? My dad's never done that to me! Pope’s parents don’t do that! Kie’s don’t! No matter what they do.” John B. said and JJ knew he was trying to explain that his dad was messed up but it just made him feel more messed up. He didn’t want to think hard about why his dad did it and other parents didn’t. 

“Just shut up.” He said, taking a hit from his joint to try to block out his words.

“You sound like one of those abused chicks in those health class videos. And I’m not saying that to be a dick. I’m saying that because you’re in that cycle they taught us about. And I’m trying to get you out but you won’t come.” John B. said. 

“Fuck you, John B! Fuck you. I’m not.” He said, actually hurt and embarrassed by that because he recognized how true and pathetic it was. He ripped the door open right as John B. started to accelerate after a stop sign again, jumping out and disappearing into the woods towards his house.

He wasn’t gonna talk to John B. until he apologized to him. He wasn’t some damsel in distress.

* * *

“My parents are like ninety nine percent sure your dad did that to you, JJ.” Pope said when he cornered him in the hallway in between classes the next day. 

“That's ridiculous.” JJ said, taking his hat off and putting it back on backwards anxiously. “What’d you say?”

“I told them that you got in another fight and were too embarrassed to admit it.” Pope said, looking worried. “But I didn’t want to! I hate helping cover it up!” 

“No, that’s good, Pope, thanks dude. If they report it, my dad will be pissed. And I could go to Florida, remember?” JJ said, putting a hand on his shoulder to get his point across. 

“I know, I know! But there’s gotta be another way to stop this.” Pope said. “We’ve got class. See you later?”

“Yeah. Thanks again, dude. I really appreciate it. You think they’re off the trail?” JJ asked. 

“Maybe. But I mean, my mom especially is on edge about reporting it. She called your grandma last night by the way.” Pope said over his shoulder as he walked away before the bell rang. 

“What?! Pope? What do you mean? Why didn’t you say that first?!” JJ called after him, but Pope just gestured helplessly as he disappeared into his classroom. JJ looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was looking before dipping down the hallway and ditching last period.

He went home to try to call Mimi but his dad’s car was there and he knew he couldn’t have a real conversation with her about it while his dad was around. It set him off on a regular day if they talked so he could imagine how he would be if he talked to Mimi about his bruises near him.

He couldn’t go to John B.’s and call her because he wasn’t talking to him and he sure as hell couldn’t have that conversation at anyone else’s house without raising major red flags. 

He got his board and his wetsuit instead and went to the beach, surfing the mostly isolated waves to take his mind off of the scenarios running through his head. He wasn’t even surprised when Kie and John B. appeared and joined him, figuring Pope had texted them. 

JJ gave John B. the silent treatment when he tried to joke with him, feeling only kind of satisfied when he saw John B. roll his eyes when he didn’t answer and leave to wait for them on the beach. 

“So, what’s going on with Juliet?” Kie asked him as they waited for a solid wave. 

“Thank you! Pope always makes me Juliet. Thank you for recognizing reality, Kie. He’s totally the girl.” JJ said. 

“No, I meant you, dumbass. What’s with the attitude towards John B? And can you stop? It sucks to be around. I swear, it was almost less dramatic with the Kooks than you guys.” Kie said. 

JJ gasped dramatically. “Take that back! Or I’m not gonna get you weed anymore.” 

“You’re all talk.” Kie said, paddling up as a wave formed before he could answer. 

He caught the next one, getting out and joining them on the beach to change before they headed for Kie’s car. 

“I’m gonna walk.” JJ said, board under his arm. 

“What? It’s almost dark and it’s freezing. Get in, JJ.” Kie said, helping John B. strap the boards to the roof of her car. 

“I’ll survive.” He said, walking away as John B’s phone rang it’s annoying ringtone loudly.

“Oh. Yeah, he’s actually here with me.” He heard John B. say and he turned around, confused about why someone would be calling for him on John B.’s phone. 

John B. held the phone out for him. “It’s Mimi.” 

JJ immediately wondered if she had given her number to everyone under the sun when she was here. He felt totally unprepared to talk to her, not having the energy to lie and defend himself to the third adult in a week but knowing it would be worse if he didn’t. At least he could have some privacy and walk away to talk to her, unlike at home.

He took the phone from John B. and just pointed at the beach to show them that he was going to talk there. Kie told him they’d wait in the car for him and he almost asked why before realizing he had John B.’s phone. 

“Hey, Mimi.” He said, churning his story over in his head. 

“Hi, baby. I don’t have a lot of time to talk, but I’m glad I got you. I’m so upset. Azalea called me last night and told me what happened with everything these past few weeks and then she told me that you were jumped but that you have even more injuries that aren’t from that! What’s going on? Are you okay? And I want the truth.” Mimi said and JJ could tell she was angry. He hadn’t wanted her to find out about any of that.

“Azalea?” He said, stalling for time. He faked a laugh. “That’s Pope’s mom’s name?”

“Yes, sweetie. What happened to you? It was your dad, wasn’t it?”

“My dad? He wouldn’t do that. It was this dick named Rafe. He’s a couple years older and he has it out for us, Mimi. He hates anyone who isn't rich like him. He jumped me, that’s what happened to me. But I’m okay.” He said, kicking the sand and looking over at Kie’s car. 

“JJ, don’t lie to me, honey. You’re better than your mom, don’t act like her. I’m talking about what happened to you after this punk. When you went home with your dad.” Mimi said and JJ clenched the phone hard at the mention of his mom.

“I’m not lying! Why won’t you believe me?” JJ said, bringing up his tears, exhausted by himself.

“Because I love you and want you to be safe and I know what your dad’s like. And I know that you want to cover for him and that you want to stay in the Banks. But I don’t know, sweetie. I think it’s time to consider-” Mimi was cut off by commotion in the background. He heard a baby and he wanted to hang up before this got even worse, knowing exactly why Mimi needed to go and who had just come over. 

“Hang on, sweetie. Let me just change rooms. Don’t hang up.” Mimi said and JJ could tell she was trying to cover the phone so he couldn’t hear but he heard his mom anyways. 

“Who’s that?” He heard his mom ask and his stomach flipped.

“Mimi, I gotta go. I’m all good, I swear. I’ll call you later.” He said, cutting her off as she tried to stop him. He hung up and cried for a minute alone, hating that it hurt to think about his mom and his ‘brother’ and whatever they were doing with Mimi that he would never be a part of. He wiped his face angrily and waited a minute before heading back to Kie’s car, throwing John B.’s phone at him through the cracked window before going off alone into the darkness, ignoring them calling after him.

* * *

“Can I borrow JJ?” 

JJ’s head shot up from the desk where he had been carving his initials into the wood, perking up at Mrs. Cooper’s voice. She was the only adult at school that he actually liked spending time with. 

“Go right ahead, he’s not paying attention anyways.” His math teacher said from where he was sitting at his desk, texting. Why he thought they should do work in their math books while he got to text, JJ had no idea, but that’s how most of his classes went.

JJ got up, grabbing his backpack and smiling back at Mrs. Cooper when she smiled at him. 

“What’s up, Mrs. Cooper? You proud that I’m at school so many days in a row? Do you have candy in your office?” He said as they headed towards it. 

“I’m very proud! And do I have candy? When do I not? But listen, JJ, before we go in there, there are two people who want to talk to you about something.” Mrs. Cooper answered, putting a hand on his arm to stop him as he reached for the doorknob. 

He froze. “What? Who? I haven’t done anything!” He said, wondering if he should try to make a run for it before remembering how that went last time.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, it’s nothing like that. Just come in and we’ll talk. I’ll be right there with you.” She said, opening the door before he could argue, probably knowing he wouldn’t do any better if they put it off. 

He went in, stomach dropping when he saw Shoupe and a random woman he immediately knew was from DCS sitting at Mrs. Cooper’s big table. 

“You must be JJ.” The woman said, forcing a fake smile at him for a second before dropping it, looking bored. “I’m Ms. Johnson, I’m from the Department of Child Services. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

JJ knew that was code for, ‘do you mind if I try to ruin your life?’ which had happened to him about five times this week and he was about to completely lose it.

JJ and his dad had been visited exactly once by DCS and it had been a terrible memory that he would love to erase. It had been right when his mom was moving away for the final time and she and his dad had a really bad fight before JJ got a big bruise on his face in the middle of it and his fourth grade teacher had called it in when he went to school. DCS had dismissed it pretty quickly when Luke had blamed his missing mom, but he had not been happy that they had come over, to say in the least.

JJ didn’t answer her, crossing his arms and slumping down in his chair, looking at Shoupe. He had had a few experiences with Shoupe before and they hadn’t been good either, especially since the last one had involved his dad and his uncle fighting and Shoupe breaking up the fight.

“JJ’s a little nervous, but I told him we’re just talking. He’s great, he’s one of my favorites. I know we aren’t supposed to have favorites, but that doesn’t have to leave the room.” Mrs. Cooper said, passing JJ the candy and winking at him.

“There’s nothing to be nervous about. I’m sure you know Deputy Shoupe, right? That’s a familiar face.” The woman asked, gesturing lazily at Shoupe. 

“We’re pretty familiar.” Shoupe said, looking at JJ like he had done something wrong. 

“Great. Well, we just came from your house and we talked to your dad. And we wanted to talk to you. We had a report come in from someone who’s worried about those bruises you’ve got on your face and neck. Can you tell us what happened? How did you get those?” She said, pen hovering over her checklist as if he was going to spill all the details and ruin his own life. 

For a split second, he imagined telling her just to see her shock and make her actually have to do her job for once, but he dismissed that.

Instead, he did what he did best.

He opened his mouth and started his story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for the semi-cliffhanger and for this chapter not being too exciting and that we don't actually know who reported it yet!
> 
> I think we might have just a few chapters left, which makes me kind of sad but I think it's wrapping itself up. But, you never know.. if they get into a situation that needs to be told, it could be more!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	23. Who Do You Blame?

“I was jumped outside of a store. The guy smashed something into my face, took my money and choked me.” He said, glaring at her, arms crossed. 

“Ouch. So he smashed something into your face a few times or just once? Do you know what it was?” She asked, checking off some things on her paper. JJ’s eyes went to her pen.

“A few times.” He said before changing it. “A bunch of times. And it wasn’t just him. He had someone with him, holding me back. Otherwise, I would have gotten him.” 

“I’m glad you didn’t, JJ. You could’ve been hurt even more.” Mrs. Cooper said to him.

“How old was the guy? Did you know him? Did he hurt you anywhere else?” The DCS worker said, not looking up from her paper. 

“No, he was like a couple years older than me. I didn’t know him. That’s all he did.” JJ said, hoping they would leave soon.

“Okay, can you take your jacket off for us, please? I just need to take some pictures to document it and I’ll write it all down. And that bandana so we have a clear shot of your neck and face.” She said, putting her pen down and getting her phone.

JJ shook his head, looking at Mrs. Cooper for backup. He had never had that happen before and was terrified. He figured his story didn’t match his dad’s and they were gonna take him away. He had put the bandana back on after what had happened at the Heyward’s and he didn’t want that scrutinized again, even though he knew it had mostly faded. 

“Maybe Deputy Shoupe could leave the room so he’s more comfortable?” Mrs. Cooper suggested and the lady was already shaking her head. 

“No, he needs to be here to witness what I’m doing.” She said. 

“You can see my face right here. Why do you need to take pictures of me?” JJ said, crossing his arms and sinking lower in his chair to avoid her camera. 

“We need to document and see if there is anything else. Take your coat off, CJ.” She said, standing up.

“It’s JJ. You don’t even care anyways. None of you give a shit. Nothing happened to me that you need to document, it was some random addict who needed my money for a fix.”

“Look, you can either remove your jacket yourself and I can take the pictures and leave or Deputy Shoupe will take it off for you.” 

JJ bit his lip, pissed off. He didn’t want to have his bruises documented. He was pretty sure that wasn’t good. He couldn’t remember this happening last time and it didn’t seem good.

He decided to take his jacket off to get it over with since she said she would leave after.

“That’s a good choice, JJ.” Mrs. Cooper said and he would have rolled his eyes if he didn’t love her. It was his only choice.

“Thank you, JJ.” The woman said, bored. She had him hold his arms out and took pictures before taking pictures of his face from all sides. 

“Can you take your bandana off? We just need to see your neck and then we’re done.” 

JJ had been waiting for that and let his face crumple, starting to cry. 

“It’s okay, JJ.” Mrs. Cooper said right away, rubbing him on the back and he immediately felt guilty but had no choice. 

“It’s the only thing I have left from my mom. She told me to never take it off!” He cried, only semi-embarrassed to be doing it in front of Shoupe.

The woman definitely didn’t have the patience to deal with that emotional load and put her camera down.

“That’s fine, we got enough. You and your dad’s stories match, so we don’t need anymore.” She said. Shoupe was staring at him because he knew JJ didn’t wear the bandana all the time, but he ignored it.

“Told you.” JJ said to her, pissed off that she had taken pictures even when their stories had matched.

“It’s our job to make sure you’re safe.” The woman said. “If you ever need anything, let Mrs. Coffman know and she can reach me, okay? I hope your face heals soon.” 

JJ wanted to point out that she hadn’t made sure of anything and hadn’t helped him at all and couldn’t even get anyone’s name right, but he didn’t want to draw attention to himself so he stayed quiet. 

“Are you okay, JJ?” Mrs. Cooper said as Shoupe talked to the lady. “That must have been scary for you, I’m sure. Do you want to talk about it?”

“Scary? It was almost two weeks ago. I’m all good. Can I go back to Math?” He said, standing up. He didn’t want to be rude but didn’t want to keep up his act anymore. His mind was racing with thoughts and his hands were shaking slightly. He didn’t know if it had been Mimi or the Heywards or Mr. C, but he was angry and scared and wanted to leave school and go get high as shit. 

“I meant what happened to you _and_ this. It’s a big deal. You can go if you want but I’d love to help you.” She said, looking worried. 

“I’m good, Mrs. Cooper. I’m a big boy.” He said, taking a piece of candy anyways to show her he was cool. “See you later.” He left the room before he was stopped, not looking at Shoupe or the DCS lady before pretending to go towards Math, dipping through the side door that no one watched instead.

JJ had gotten himself out of the situation in under ten minutes, which bothered him in a way he couldn’t even begin to understand, but it mostly made him feel smart and confident knowing he tricked them. He smiled to himself at how easy it was to get them off his back as he dipped.

He didn’t know why they thought he would open up about anything to a stranger and Shoupe of all people. Even if he had tried, he was pretty sure Shoupe would just pretend to investigate before dropping it. He didn’t care. 

He had cash thanks to the lonely Kook woman he had ‘worked’ for last weekend so he went and bought some candy at the store around the corner. He decided to go wait at the Chateau, smoke and see if John B. was ready to apologize to him when he got back from school. He told himself that he didn’t care either way. They had been friends long enough to coexist even during a standoff. 

He bumped right into Heyward as he was walking up to the cashier and cursed the island for being so damn small that he just had to run into someone he really wanted to avoid. 

“Hey Heyward. Can’t talk, but you should try the new slurpee flavor. It’s the shit.” JJ said, ducking around him, walking up to the cashier and putting his candy down. It felt weird to leave without stealing anything but Peterkin had scared him enough that he wasn’t going to try it when he actually had money as hard as it was to resist. 

“Yeah? Well you should try school. It’s ‘the shit’ and it’s in session for another two hours.” Heyward said to his back. 

JJ handed a crumpled bill to the cashier, not turning around to face Heyward. “I’m heading back now, don’t worry. I hate missing it but I was starving. I needed a pick-me-up.” 

“It’s almost like the school should make a designated time for y’all to eat. Oh wait. They did. It’s called lunch.” Heyward said. JJ took his change and shoved it in his pocket, grabbing his bag. 

“You’re on fire today with the comebacks, Heyward. You should be a comedian, man. You really should.” JJ said, walking quickly to the door. 

“Wait a damn second and I’ll drive you back. Don’t think about running either. I’ll chase you down myself if you try that. You’re going back to school.” Heyward said, grabbing something from the shelf and walking over to pay for it. 

JJ hesitated, looking back at him, biting his lip before playing it off. He decided it would be worse if he ran, but went to wait outside of the store just to get space.

Heyward definitely rushed, thinking he was going to make a run for it because he zoomed outside almost at the same time that JJ was leaning against the wall to wait.

“Where’s the fire?” JJ said to him. 

“I’m looking at him.” Heyward said back, walking over to his run down truck. “Let’s go.” 

JJ hesitated for a second, not wanting to get trapped with Heyward or go back to school but even he knew he had no choice so he got in. 

Heyward drove up the road slowly, surprisingly not mentioning the other day. JJ figured it wasn’t the Heywards as they pulled into the school bus loop right as Shoupe and the DCS lady were coming out and heading to their cars. JJ subtly tried to hide but he knew he was obvious to Shoupe. The lady was already in her car and starting her engine, eager to get back to the mainland.

“Don’t y’all have a school officer already? What’s Shoupe doing here?” Heyward wondered out loud. 

“Beats me. Probably trying to arrest Pope for getting a 95% instead of an 100% on a test.” JJ said, wanting to hop out and get away from the Shoupe/Heyward proximity he was experiencing but unable to see how to get away as Shoupe approached JJ’s window. Heyward rolled it down.

“I gotta get to class so I’ll let you two talk about the seafood market or arresting people or whatever.” JJ said, opening his door and trying to get out but Shoupe came up too close before he could open his door, trapping him in the car between them. 

“Was he out skipping school already, Heyward? That took all of twenty minutes.” Shoupe said, looking at JJ who glared at him, annoyed that he outed that he was there for him.

Heyward looked confused before realizing what that meant. “They’re here for you? What did you get into now?” 

“Nothing! They weren’t. I gotta go! I’m gonna be late for Math.” JJ said, considering just banging the door into Shoupe, but Shoupe leaned in and rested on the window so that wasn’t possible. 

“Don’t lie, now.” Shoupe said before turning to Heyward. “We had to deal with a report about him. It turned out to be nothing but I guess I should have escorted you back to class myself. You’ve got some nerve skipping school with a cop on the property. Especially after everything you’ve done recently.” 

“There’s always a cop on the property.” JJ pointed out. “I left for a few minutes to get some food, I wasn’t actually skipping.” 

“A report? What’d you think he did?” Heyward said, worried. JJ looked at Shoupe to try to convince him to shut up but Shoupe didn’t look twice at him before blurting it all out. 

“Someone reported his dad for abuse but we cleared it up. Turns out it was just from a fight.” Shoupe said and JJ’s knee was bouncing with unrestrained energy and nervousness at being trapped in the car with this. 

“I need to go to class! What, cops don’t care about kids getting an education, now? What’s next? No laughter allowed within five hundred feet of the place?” JJ said, hand on the door handle. He tried to open it but Shoupe’s body was leaning too hard and he didn’t move. 

“Ok relax, son. You’re alright. You do need to get back in there. And stay there until three o’clock, you hear me? We’ll talk later.” Heyward said and Shoupe took a step back. JJ threw the door open, not caring when it hit Shoupe before bolting towards the school doors. He could hear them talking but he tried not to care and didn’t want anything to do with that. 

He walked in and avoided the secretary popping the office door open to call him over, walking towards the English hallway to duck into the secret escape they had from the janitor’s closet. He wasn’t going to stay at school after the day he’d had. 

His eyes locked on John B. in the back of his class when he passed it and JJ stopped, considering whether he should try to get him to come or not. John B. sensed him and looked over, making a stupid funny face at him before JJ decided that he wanted him to come and distract him so he gestured for him to come with him. He watched as he raised his hand and politely faked a stomachache, getting out in record time.

They didn’t even need to talk, sneaking into the closet before crawling through the trap door that led to the fields behind the school. They avoided the gym class that was running nearby and snuck to the edge of the field by the trees before sneaking into them. 

“What’s good?” John B. said to him after they got far enough away to know they were in the clear. 

JJ shrugged, not wanting to really talk to him, but wanting to do something stupid. He wasn’t going to tell him about DCS. “Want to borrow some boards from Ward’s yacht and go wakeboarding? It’s kind of nice out today. I always wanted to try that Kook shit.”

“I’m not stealing wakeboards from Ward, JJ.” 

“It’s not stealing. You work for him! It’s borrowing. You scared I’ll kick your ass?” JJ said, raising his eyebrows at him as he pulled out his vape. 

John B. just shook his head in a patronizing way that made JJ’s blood boil. He couldn’t deal with it on top of what had just happened to him. 

“What? If you want to say something just say it, bro. Since when are you such a pussy?” JJ said and he realized that he sounded like his dad but he couldn’t stop.

“Shut up, JJ. You’ve been ignoring me since the other day. I know you wanted me to say sorry and now you’re acting like nothing happened. And I can tell you wanna fight but I’m not gonna fight you so you can stop.” John B. said. 

“You? Say sorry? For what?” JJ said, trying to get him to admit what he had said wrong. 

John B. rolled his eyes but he was never bothered by JJ’s attempts to change the mood. “For saying you were in that cycle or whatever. Well, guess what? I looked it up and you definitely are. I’m not gonna apologize for trying to get you out.” 

JJ turned to him and shoved him angrily, only feeling slightly bad when John B. stumbled into a tree before catching himself. 

“Screw you, John B. I’m going to the beach.” He said, turning the other direction and walking off. He heard John B. sigh before following him. 

“Fine. You wanna stay mad? Stay mad. But I’m coming with you to the beach and we’re getting high.” John B. said to his back. 

JJ waved a middle finger over his shoulder, hoping it would get John B. annoyed enough to stop following him but it didn’t. 

They almost instantly forgot their fight as soon as they got high. It was part of the reason why JJ loved weed. It fixed everything, at least temporarily.

* * *

JJ went home the next day after spending the night at John B.’s. He had avoided his house the night of the DCS visit, not able to deal with so much in one day. He hadn’t told John B. what had happened, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing that it had been bad enough for someone to call it in. 

Although part of him was proud of getting DCS off of his back so easily, the other part was tingling with what he knew was shame when he realized that his dad had been getting meaner again and John B. was right about the stupid cycle of abuse. 

He had even looked it up when John B. wasn’t around, late last night, looking at the picture of the wheel and the four stages before closing his phone angrily and throwing it next to him. He wasn’t some abused wife, it was just his dad and it was how it had always been. And most of it was his fault. He wasn’t easy to be around, he knew that. He was always getting in trouble and doing stupid shit.

When he walked inside, it was clear that his dad had just come home from the salvage yard, judging by what was on their porch to be fixed up. He was always bringing stuff back, fixing it or leaving it there for months on end before reselling it and making a killing off of it. Not that JJ ever saw that money. He was still stuck saving up for all of his own shit, including food a lot of the time.

His dad was on the phone in the kitchen, but he looked at JJ when he walked in for a second before looking away and wrapping up his call. JJ couldn’t tell what kind of mood he was in by the look, but he seemed sober enough which could be a good or a bad thing. He hovered by the doorway between the kitchen and the porch anxiously, hands in his pockets fiddling with what he had in them.

“Who called them?” His dad asked him, leaning against their table and crossing his arms once he hung up.

JJ shrugged, still not sure himself. He was pretty sure it wasn’t Heyward or Mrs. Heyward since he had been surprised to see Shoupe. He didn’t think Mimi would do that without telling him when they left off how they had so he assumed it was Mr. C, which pissed him off. He of all people should know that it would only make it worse. 

“So, you told someone I did that to you?” His dad said, gesturing with one hand vaguely towards JJ’s almost healed face and neck. 

“I didn’t tell anyone anything, I swear.” JJ said, shaking his head and flicking the ring from Pope around with his thumb. “I don’t know who it was, Dad.”

“They come to school? They said they were gonna go there.” Luke said to him and JJ still couldn’t get a read on him so he stayed tense.

“Yeah, but I told them it was all from Rafe.” He said and he barely resisted flinching back when his dad stood up straight and came over to him, reaching for him. He realized his dad was high, probably on some kind of pill when he saw how slow he was and saw his pupils and he tried to relax a little.

“Let me see.” His dad said, grabbing JJ’s chin with one hand and turning his face to the side to look at the healing bruises before tipping his head back to see his neck. JJ stayed still, shame bubbling up deep within him. His dad had barely ever looked twice at what he had done to him, always pretending like his face wasn’t bashed in from his own anger. 

“It’s no big deal, I don’t know what they were talking about. I barely touched you, you had that shit already. But I mean, come on. Who wouldn’t be pissed at the shit you’ve done?” Luke said, dropping JJ’s chin and pushing him away gently before going to the cabinet and pulling out his baggie of coke from its ‘hiding’ spot and sitting at the table.

JJ could almost see his mood shift once he had it in his hands and he knew he should get out of there. His dad always had to get high when anything got tough, even though he seemed high already and it was dangerous to mix the two. He tried not to think about how he did the same thing when he couldn’t handle something. At least he didn’t get mean like his dad.

“Yeah.” JJ agreed, talking a step back and swallowing hard, trying to suppress the lump in his throat at his dad’s dismissal of the attack. He tried not to let the memory of his dad’s hands closing on his throat resurface. He felt a spike of anger come up and he forced himself to push it down.

“I bet it was your nosy-ass grandma. I’m blocking her number here. She doesn’t need to be calling the cops, saying I don’t know how to raise my own kid. You see her or your mom anywhere? They aren’t here. They don’t know what it’s like. You see how easily those DCS people left? They don’t care. No one cares.” Luke continued as he poured a line.

JJ really didn’t want to answer so he just shrugged and turned to leave. He knew his dad’s mood was going to get angrier and he didn’t want to be near it. 

“JJ.” Luke said and he stopped, turning back around halfway, dread in his stomach. “I don’t want you talking to her anymore, you hear me? If I find out you are, I’m gonna be pissed. I don’t care if she calls you a hundred times a day- don’t answer it. Got it?”

“Yeah.” He lied easily. As if his dad would even remember saying this the next day. He always said shit and then got high as the sky and didn’t know what had happened the morning of, let alone a week ago. He was just happy that he didn’t seem pissed at him about DCS.

“That’s my boy. You’ve got family here, we don’t need _them_ butting in or we won’t be your family anymore. You’ll have to live with them and you know what’ll happen.” He said and JJ nodded a little bit before turning away. Their family here was bullshit. Luke was constantly in a fight with someone in his family. If it wasn’t his sister, it was her husband. If it wasn’t them, it was his brother or JJ’s cousin or Luke’s cousin or uncle or whoever. He couldn’t keep up. But he did know that if he ever got sent away, he would probably lose his dad forever. 

He went and smoked up out of his window right as his dad turned the music on and up and JJ knew it was going to be a rough night to be home so he got his stuff to go to John B.’s again right as he heard his dad’s friends pull up. He wondered if that was going to be him and John B. before dropping the thought. He wasn’t gonna hit his kid, ever. 

* * *

“Can I get some damn service around here?” JJ complained loudly as Kie passed him and John B. for the fourth time, filling up everyone’s cups but theirs. They were finishing the last part of the dock and it was a warm day out, so people at The Wreck were eating outside again which meant Kie was working near them.

Kie rolled her eyes and passed his outstretched cup to go to a table with some family with a bunch of kids so JJ threw his head back and poured his ice into his mouth, crunching it loudly. 

“The service here is so shitty, bro. I’m gonna give it one star on Yelp.” He complained to John B, who was nailing in the last board with little to no help from him.

“Yeah, I dare you to do that. See how long you survive before Kie or Mr. C murder you.” John B. said. 

“Do you have to act like a total dick every time I give you soda, JJ?” Kie said, returning with a pitcher of Root Beer. “I have to actually take care of real customers first. Ones who pay me and treat me with respect.”

“I treat you with respect and I pay you with weed. I was just wondering when you were gonna come back. You were checking on them so much, Kie.” JJ justified, smiling when she filled his cup up to the brim before filling up John B.’s cup when JJ passed it to her.

“Are you almost done, JB? This environment is getting on my nerves, man. I need to breathe non-Kook air. No offense, Kie, I know you’re related to Kooks.” JJ said, drinking half of John B.’s drink before passing it to him.

“Gross. I don’t want it after you. Keep it.” John B. said, standing up and grabbing the tools to put them back. “All done! No thanks to you.” 

“I’m the reason you even got good at building docks, dude. That’s a quality life skill! You can thank me later.” JJ said.

“I’m not even gonna answer that. Can you at least put the power saw back? Or is that too much work?” John B. said, sitting down on the edge of the dock and pulling out his phone. 

JJ saluted him, picking it up and carrying it towards the side of The Wreck where they had an outdoor storage closet. He put the saw in, locking the door from the inside like he was supposed to. He heard Mr. C’s voice and tensed up, looking over and seeing him close by talking to a delivery guy. He saw JJ and started walking towards him but JJ pretended not to notice and tried to book it back to John B. and Kie. 

“JJ, wait! Did you boys finish?” Mr. C called and he was forced to stop when he turned the corner back to the deck of The Wreck and almost ran head first into a waitress who gave him a dirty look as Mr. C. caught up to him. 

“What?” JJ asked Mr. C, looking behind him at John B. and Kie to see if they would notice that he needed to be saved. They were messing around, laughing and didn’t see. Not that they knew what had happened with DCS anyways. They thought he and Mr. C were finally okay.

“Did you boys finish?” Mr. C said and JJ could see him looking over his face. He was glad that the bruises were almost completely gone and that he had no new ones anywhere, not even from messing around. 

“Yeah, we just finished. Hopefully it won’t get destroyed during the next storm, but hey. If it does. We won’t be your guys.” JJ said, taking a step away from him before he tried to grab his arm. JJ jerked his arm away, glaring at Mr. C.

“I’m not sorry I did it. I’m sorry it didn’t work and I’m sorry that I didn’t do it years and years ago. And I’ll do it again if I need to.” Mr. C said and JJ got angry really fast at the confession, but he pretended he didn’t know what he meant. He didn’t know how Mr. C could treat him and John B. and Pope like criminals for years and then suddenly act like he cared while trying to ruin his life.

“Years and years ago? You would have made a couple of twelve year olds build your dock?” He said, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

“You know what I’m talking about. I’m just hoping it made your dad realize that you’ve got people who are looking out for you who aren’t okay with it. No one ever did that for me and I can’t stay silent about it when I’m looking at what he did to you.” Mr. C said and JJ snapped.

“Screw you! You don’t know _anything_ about my dad or me! You think we’re just like whatever happened to you when you were a kid and it’s not the same! My dad didn’t touch me and now you made cops come over and you just made a lot of trouble over nothing! If you had listened to me then you would have heard what I was saying! But no, you just have to make me the same as you. Well guess what, Mr. C? I’m not the same! I’m not some victim like you were! My dad loves me and didn’t touch me! And I’ll never forgive you for trying to take me away from him.” JJ practically yelled at him, not caring that a family at a table nearby were looking over and listening. 

He went quickly over to where John B. and Kie were joking around, grabbing his bag and angrily walking away, ignoring them asking him what was wrong. He looked back over his shoulder once and saw that Mr. C hadn’t moved to chase him. He was never going to forgive him for trying to take him away from everything he knew.

“JJ, wait! What the hell is wrong?” He heard Kie say as she ran after him.

“What’s wrong? I hate your dad, Kie! He fucking reported my dad to DCS!” JJ said, but he shut up when he saw that John B. had heard too. He really hadn’t wanted John B. to know that. 

“He _what_? When? He didn’t say anything about that to me!” Kie said loudly.

“Yeah, well, we’re lucky I’m a good liar and DCS doesn’t give a shit because otherwise I’d be on my way to Florida!” JJ shot back. 

“What do you mean they didn’t give a shit?” John B. asked him.

“Just fuck off. Both of you.” JJ said, turning and walking away.

“Hey! JJ, don’t walk away.” Kie called after him and he heard John B. telling her that he needed space to calm down. He rolled his eyes and kept walking away.

* * *

By the time it was dark, his phone was almost dead from getting so many calls from Kie as he made his way home. As annoying as John B. could be by forcing him to talk about shit he didn’t want to talk about, at least he knew he needed space and didn’t keep texting him and calling him when he was pissed. 

He went home and spent the night helping his dad fix some kind of crazy specialized engine. He tried to ignore how they seemed to be going into the tension building phase of the cycle that he refused to admit he was in as his dad called him names and shoved him around throughout it.

The next morning he texted Pope and made a plan to meet him, not wanting to really be around Kie or John B. yet, even though he knew it wasn’t their fault what had happened with Mr. C. He just wanted a break from being with someone who knew everything and seemed like they were blaming him for it. Pope didn’t do that. 

He had to pick him up at the store, even though he was dreading seeing Heyward after he had talked to Shoupe. He felt like in just the past few months he had gone from being on nobody’s radar to being on every adult’s radar and he hated it and didn’t know how much more he could handle. 

He honked his horn that he had customized on his bike obnoxiously when he pulled up, wanting to kidnap Pope without seeing Heyward or really anyone else, but Pope stuck his head out of the door and waved him in. He vaped, trying to wait him out but Pope gestured again after five minutes so he went in slowly.

“You’re being weird.” Pope said to him when he came in and stood close to him, following him like a shadow as he finished stocking the shelves. 

“What? No I’m not, dude. You’re being weird. You said to be here at eleven and ta-da! Here I am. But you lied.” JJ justified. He relaxed when he didn’t see Heyward.

“Where did you get eleven from that message? I just said come soon.” Pope said.

“You always finish at eleven on Saturdays!” JJ said. “Why are you trying to work extra?” 

“I’m literally doing my job, JJ. I’ll be done in ten. What’s up? How come you aren’t with John B?”

JJ shrugged, sitting on a pile of boxes and pulling out his ball, throwing it up and catching it. “I love the dude but sometimes it’s just better to spend time with someone who’s actually a good influence. That’s you, bro.” 

“You’re so full of it.” Pope said, before getting serious. “Did you want to talk? We could go to the treehouse or the beach.” 

“No, bro. I just want to fucking surf and do nothing else. We need to work on your tailslide.”

“My tailslide is perfect.” Pope said, putting the last thing on the shelf.

He heard Heyward’s super loud laugh outside of the back door before he came in and he kind of tried to hide behind Pope who gave him a weird look, but that was because he didn't know that his dad and Shoupe had talked. 

Heyward just looked at him before finishing with the customer he had been laughing with. JJ headed towards the door, trying to get Pope to hurry up.

“I’ll be waiting outside, Pope! If you ever finish!” He called.

“JJ!” He heard Heyward call after him and he weighed his options. He was pretty sure Heyward would hold Pope back to make him talk anyways so he stuck just his head back inside to show he wasn’t invested. 

“What’s up, Heyward? Pope said he was done, I’m not messing up his job, I swear.” He said. 

“Why aren’t you working? You know you have that work log to fill out. Is your dad filling it out for you?” He asked him, eyebrows raised.

“Yep. He’s got it all covered. We didn’t work today, I worked yesterday after school.” JJ lied. He knew his dad wouldn’t fill it out for him but he figured Bobby could sign it, no problem. And add hours so it looked like it was more than it was because in reality, he only spent a few hours there a week. 

“Well, if you need to, you can come back here anytime, no questions asked.” Heyward said before shaking his head when JJ smiled. “That’s the only time you’ll hear me say that, you little bastard, so stop smiling.”

“Aw, you miss me and my work ethic already?” JJ said. 

“Yeah, well, your work ethic is better than your school ethic, apparently. I catch you skipping school again and I’ll tattle faster than you can blink. Don’t mess around with your second chances.” Heyward said and JJ saluted him, trying to close the door to wait for Pope, who was apparently doing everything he could before leaving. He couldn’t even see him anymore.

“We’ll see you at dinner on Wednesday, okay? And bring a cake this time, you hear me?”

“Sure, we’ll be there with a cake, no problem. Can you tell Pope we’re missing all the good waves? See you, Heyward!” JJ called, closing the door and heading to his bike. 

He had no intention of really going to those dinners, at least not for a while, until things cooled down. 

He and Pope surfed the rest of the day, Pope finally giving in to JJ’s coaching and letting him teach him how to perfect his tailslide before they met up with Kie and John B. at the Boneyard as it got dark. The three of them got ridiculously high and drunk as JJ forced himself to forget his problems for the night.

* * *

“Yo, Pope, get me one of those...Kie what’s that shit called with the bun? And there’s like a brown circle thing in the middle and shit?” JJ said from the backseat, turning to Kie who was next to him laughing. They had made Pope drive them somewhere for food after the Boneyard died down. If JJ hadn’t been so high, he almost would’ve felt bad for him.

“Do you mean a burger?” She laughed. 

“Just get us some pizzas, Pope. Hurry up though, man. We’re starving!” John B. said as the three of them giggled stupidly together. 

“Why? Why me? What did I do to deserve this?” Pope said dramatically from behind the wheel. 

“Why aren’t you ordering, bro? Come on, it’s right there! Do I have to do everything?” JJ complained, rolling his window down instead and trying to order. 

“Oh my god, you idiot. That’s not where you order, that’s just a sign that says no littering. We have like ten cars ahead of us.” Pope groaned, rolling his window back up when he tried to order anyways. 

“Pope, just drive around and go to the front of the line, man.” JJ said. 

“Did you order the pizzas yet?” John B. asked.

“I didn’t order any pizzas, John B. This is McDonald’s and we’re at the end of the line. But I’m about to turn around and go home.” Pope threatened.

“Mama’s mad.” JJ said and Kie laughed. He smiled at her and laughed back. 

“Yeah, I’m mad! I could be doing literally anything else right now! Why’s this line not moving?” Pope said, gesturing at the line. 

“Shit. That’s a cop. Act cool, boys.” Kie said, slumping lower in her seat and putting a hand up to her forehead to hide. 

“Shit, which cop is it? See, John B? I knew cops ate McDonald’s! And you said it was only donuts!” JJ said, craning his neck to see who it was. 

“If you guys don’t shut up, I will personally murder all three of you. I can’t get in trouble, my scholarship is on the line!” Pope said, pulling up as the line moved.

“Why would they look twice at us?” Kie asked, but she pulled JJ back inside the car by his shirt as he got the window to roll down so he could spit out of the car. Pope hit the window lock button. 

“JJ, you especially! Stop! Get in and shut up!” Pope said to him. 

“Relax, Pope. It’s just that cop, Woody or Wilson or whatever his name is. The dude’s harmless. He’s never done anything other than eat snacks and fart in his car during his career.” John B. said.

“So true, bro. My cousin told me that one time he was selling weed right next to the dude and he just kept eating his lunch.” JJ added. 

“You know it’s bad when you know the cops by name.” Pope said, rolling his window down as they finally got up to the drive through. “Alright, shut up! Shut up, JJ!” He said when JJ kept talking about Woody.

He ordered them a bunch of stuff, valiantly staying calm through the three of them demanding things that they didn’t even sell there before pulling them into a parking spot to eat. 

“Hell yeah! Come to Daddy.” JJ said, lunging for a burger, elbowing Pope in the face as he leaned into the front seat to grab it from John B.

“Those’re mine too, Kie!” JJ said, grabbing fries from her. She slapped him and threw a fry, but it hit Pope in the face. 

“I’m about to just go eat inside and leave the three of you in here.” Pope said, throwing the fry back at her.

“Scary words, Pope.” John B. said, dumping all kinds of sauces on his burger.

“I have to take a leak.” JJ realized, trying to open the door and failing. 

He eventually got it and walked over to a bush in the parking lot, getting ready to just do it there when he heard Pope yelling at him and Kie and John B. laughing. He laughed, not sure what the problem was. He had to go, he didn’t know why anyone would care if he went on a bush. John B. got out and seemed like he was going to join him before Pope whisper yelled to them again. 

“John B. take him inside! The cop’s right there, you dumbasses!”

John B. laughed and JJ laughed back before they tried to make their way inside. They almost got hit by a car as they walked through the parking lot and JJ figured it must be the most crowded place on the island right now. 

He flipped the car off before it’s lights flashed and he realized it was a different cop car. He froze like a literal deer in the headlights as John B. kept walking inside stupidly. His brain struggled to catch up to what was happening before he decided that the lights probably weren’t for him and he followed John B. He tripped, not seeing the curb and John B. caught him, both of them hitting the door right as someone was coming out, glaring at them. 

The McDonald’s was the only one on the island, or actually the only place to get food after nine o’clock so Kooks were there too, along with any other drunk or high person on the island who was hungry. That’s probably why the cops hung out here. It was destined to be a warzone.

“You two bafoons, get over here. You were jaywalking.” They heard someone say and JJ tried to focus and realized it was Shoupe in the cop car, flashing his lights at them and pulling off to the side of the parking lot for them to follow him. 

“Oh shit. Did you hear that, bro? We were jaywalking. Like he’s so scary.” JJ said, laughing with John B. before they followed him over to where he had parked, almost getting hit by another car in the process. JJ kind of realized that he could be getting screwed again by being high near Shoupe, but he didn’t have anything on him and couldn’t get worked up over it in his state. 

“Get over here. You know I could take you in for causing a disturbance? Do you know how much time it would take up if you caused an accident because you’re both too stupid to walk inside the right way?” Shoupe said, window rolled down, leaning out of it. 

“Look, no offense Shoupe, I’m listening man, but I need to take a leak and I don’t know how long I can hold it.” JJ said to him, not listening to what else he had said. 

“It’s Deputy Shoupe to you. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t take you boys in right now.” Shoupe said and that kind of woke JJ up from his high. 

“For what?” John B. complained. “We’re just trying to piss!” JJ laughed and Shoupe glared at them. 

“I can think of a lot. Jaywalking, causing a disturbance, being high as kites. You want me to keep going? JJ, your dad wouldn’t be too happy with that, would he? John B, does Teddy want to come down and pick you up this late at night?” Shoupe said. 

JJ was trying to take it seriously, his words cutting through the fog but John B. just laughed. “As if you’d do that. You know we did nothing. Why don’t you go arrest some Kooks?”

JJ was getting kind of worried about the look on Shoupe’s face at John B.’s words so he grabbed him and pulled him back. 

“We’re sorry. We’ll look both ways next time _Deputy_ Shoupe. No need to take us anywhere.” JJ said, rubbing his eyes to clear his head with one hand and looking behind him as they took a step back.

“Stop right there and get over here and put your hands on the car. I’m gonna search you and if you have _anything_ , I’m taking you in.” Shoupe said, hopping out of his car. 

JJ was happy to comply in his state, confident since he had nothing but a lighter in his pocket, his weed smoked earlier by the three of them so he was clean for once. He struggled to hold still when Shoupe got behind him and reached in his pockets, trying to fight off flashbacks, his heart racing. 

John B. grumbled when he searched his pockets but smirked when he came up with nothing. He was opening his mouth to say something to Shoupe when they heard a whistle and a voice they all hated. 

“Look at that! You finally getting removed from the island, JJ? He’s really dangerous, Shoupe, you need to lock him up and throw away the key. John B, too. He steals from my dad’s boat.” Rafe said as he pulled up next to the scene in his car, Kelce and Topper with him. 

“Really? That true, John B? You stealing from Ward Cameron, now? What about you, JJ? I bet you were there helping him, right? You’re starting to be just like your dad, as much as you fake cry and try not to be.” Shoupe said and JJ felt some anger spike up, but he was high enough that nothing really mattered. He heard Rafe laugh and noticed that Shoupe hadn’t told _him_ to call him “deputy”.

“No, he’s not. You’re more like his dad than he is.” John B. said to Shoupe and JJ was touched and worried at the same time.

“I’m sure my dad will be filing a police report soon, but feel free to get a head start. I bet the department would reward you for catching them early, Shoupe.” Rafe said as he drove off and JJ wanted to flip him off but even he knew that was stupid. They really needed to plan his revenge. 

“Deputy Shoupe? I can take them home.” They all heard and JJ turned and saw Pope standing there nervously. He felt bad, knowing how scared he was to get near the cops for obvious reasons. 

“I know your daddy wouldn’t be happy to see you out here with them. I guess I need to search you too, then. Are you the one with the stash?” Shoupe said to Pope and Pope looked nervous but held his hands up. 

“Hey, he didn’t do anything! He was just driving us home!” JJ said to try to stop Pope from being targeted. 

“Put your hands on the car, Pope.” Shoupe said, ignoring JJ. He thought he heard Rafe, Kelce and Topper laughing at them from across the parking lot. Pope listened right away, clearly nervous. 

“You can’t do that! He literally just walked over and offered to take them home!” They heard Kie say and JJ saw her walking over. “You have to have a reason to search him!” 

“I can do whatever I need to do to keep the island safe.” Shoupe said, going through Pope’s pockets before coming up empty. “I’d check yours too if I had a female officer and if I didn't think your parents would be down there suing me for trying.”

“Yeah that must be tough for you, right? I’m half black but I’m rich so you can’t get away with the racism as easily.” Kie said back and JJ didn’t know how to help but he thought Kie made Shoupe uncomfortable because he looked unsure. She was somehow sharper when high. “I’m going to film this if you don’t let us go.” 

“I am letting y’all go. I just had to check first. These two buffoons almost caused an accident.” Shoupe said, getting back in his car. “If y’all aren’t out of here in the next two minutes, I’m giving those two a ride home myself.” He gestured to John B. and JJ. 

Kie rolled her eyes and grabbed JJ and John B, dragging them over to the car. Pope followed, looking over his shoulder one more time before getting in.

“Note to self; don’t come here when high again.” John B. said and JJ laughed. 

“Nice job, Kie, you told him! You’re a badass.” JJ said to her, patting her on the shoulder. Pope was quiet as he turned the car on and backed them out slowly.

“He’s a power tripper. He had no right to search Pope. I hate that. And saying he wouldn’t search me because my parents are rich and would complain? This is what’s wrong with society!” Kie said. 

“He’s an asshole. We all know that, Kie. Let’s talk about Rafe, though. Are we ever gonna plan revenge?” JJ said to them, more pissed about him. Shoupe was just being a typical cop on the Cut, Rafe needed their attention more.

“I’m down. Let’s replace his shampoo with hair remover.” John B. offered, laughing stupidly again. “I can sneak in during work.” 

“Yeah, sounds like an awesome plan. Risk your job and get breaking and entering charges at the same time.” Pope spoke up, angrily. “No one’s doing anything. We need to just stay on our side of the island.” 

“Don’t you get angry, Pope? He spread those fucked up rumors about us and Kie! He made her life miserable! He got us all arrested and he tried to do it again! John B, go for it, man.” JJ said. 

“Shut up, JJ. Of course I get angry. But all that will happen is we do something and he’ll do something even worse back and it’ll never end. The police are on his side, too.” Pope said, turning towards the Chateau.

“Well, I’m just saying you’re about to get detoed because the three of us want to and that means we win.” JJ said. 

“Do you mean vetoed?” Pope said tiredly, pulling them up to drop them off. 

“That’s what I said, bro. Grammar police, much?” 

“We’ll talk about this when everyone is normal again.” Pope said as Kie and John B. laughed together while doing weird stuff with french fries and John B’s nose. “As normal as you guys ever are, JJ.” 

“You need to get on our level, man.” JJ said. He couldn’t understand why Pope wouldn’t want to feel how he felt when high.

“That’s literally the last thing we need. Your dumbasses would be at the sheriff’s station right now if I had been.” Pope said. 

“Thanks for saving us, Pope. Pogues for life.” Kie said, taking a break from messing around with John B.

“Pogues for life, baby!” JJ and John B. said together. JJ frowned when Pope didn’t say it. 

“Say it, Pope.” JJ demanded. 

“I’m not gonna say it just because you threatened me to say it.” Pope complained. 

“Say it, Pope. Tell us you love us.” Kie demanded.

“Pope, say it, man. Four simple words that mean so much.” John B. added.

“It’s three words, JB.” JJ said.

Pope gave him a semi-impressed look in the mirror.

“Alright, fine. Pogues for life.” He said, resigned.

“I knew you loved us.” JJ said.

"Only sometimes." Pope said. "No revenge."

JJ patted his shoulder to calm him down, already planning more plans on top of John B.'s. They weren't going down without a fight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, all the adults pretty much suck in this chapter except Heyward, who could do more but he's trying. I'm not really sure how many more chapters or what's up next except some revenge for sure and there might be a road trip coming up. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you have a great week!!


	24. Get Somewhere

“Hop on, bro. It looks like we’re gonna be working together today, just like the old times. Dreams do come true!” JJ said, pulling up to John B’s on a Sunday morning in March. He was about to complete his last day of community service and had driven over to the Chateau as soon as he saw who was first on his list. 

John B. stopped on his top step where he had been leaving his house, a piece of toast hanging from his mouth while he tried to put his hat and his backpack on at the same time. 

“Whaddya mean?” He said through the toast, part of it falling to the ground. He looked like he was considering picking it up and eating it. “You’re not actually going to the Cameron’s?”

“No, but I’m going to their fucking neighbors! Get on, I’ll drive your ass over there. I’ll go slow just for you, I swear.” JJ said, patting the back of his bike. John B. hated riding on the back. He didn’t know why John B. thought he was too cool for it but he always drove extra crazy when he was on so that he had to hold on, just to embarrass him.

“Yeah, no thanks. I want to actually drive myself. And their neighbors are practically on their own island, so we’re not working together. You know how big Tannyhill is.” John B. said, walking towards the van.

“Stupid.” JJ said to John B.

“What?” John B. said, turning around. 

“You’re stupid, bro.” JJ said, like it was obvious. “Do I gotta spell it out for you, man? Today’s the day we get revenge. Think about it. Both of us, right there in some random Kook mansion and Rafe’s house. We can pull it off today, for sure.”

John B. looked like he was considering it for a second before shaking his head. “No, we’re not doing that. Every time I said we should, I was high. The real me knows that’s a dumbass plan. Isn’t it your last day of community service? You really want to end it by going to juvie all because of Rafe?”

“John B, who even are you, man? I don’t even recognize you anymore, I really don’t. What’d Madison do to the real JB? The one who was always down for anything. She’s changed you, dude. You're whipped.” JJ said, shaking his head. He picked up a stick and threw it at John B. 

John B. just ducked, catching it and throwing it back at him before rolling his eyes, turning away again. 

“What? You afraid you won’t be able to pull it off? I’ll have to do it on my own then since you’re chicken. Kie and I planned it a long time ago, waiting for the perfect moment, but it will be harder without a second person.” JJ called to him and he smirked when he turned around. 

“What’d you plan?” He asked him, resigned. JJ knew he had him. John B. hated being told he was too scared to do something. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” JJ said, turning towards his bike just to annoy him. 

“JJ, just spit it out and tell me what you planned, asshole.” John B. demanded and JJ got on his bike and gestured for him to come closer. John B. was dramatic and sighed loudly but came over. 

“There are phases, bro. It’s not that easy to explain. Honestly, let me pull up the map Kie drew, that’s the easiest way to show you.” JJ said, swiping through his pictures until he found the one he had taken of the map of Tannyhill. 

“Why do you have-? You know what, nevermind. Other than being total creeps, you and Kie forgot one tiny detail.” John B. said, looking over the map. JJ was sure he just cared because it was Sarah’s house. He was totally obsessed, even though he claimed to have a girlfriend and that he didn’t like her. 

“What? We didn’t forget anything.” JJ said, taking his phone back.

“Your little map doesn’t show all of the people crawling around inside! They’ve got maids, a chef, everyone. They’ll know we don’t belong inside, especially not upstairs or whatever. And even if they let us, as soon as shit goes down, they’ll tell them it was us!” 

“Alright, so phase one, listen and learn, dude. You “spill” something on your shirt and go in their house to “borrow” a shirt from Rafe or to go to the bathroom. Perfect excuse if anyone sees you. Meanwhile, you get in, put the hair remover in his shampoo and get out. Easy.” JJ said, acting it out with his hands for emphasis.

“Hair remover? Really? So the plan hasn’t developed at all in almost two months? We’re just gonna make Rafe bald?”

“Well, you said we couldn’t actually beat his ass, so yeah. That’s what we stuck with. Unless you changed your mind. I’m down for an old school jumping, like he did to me.” JJ said. 

“No jumping. I guess this shit is good, I just don’t get where you come in. And what do we do if he sees me inside?” John B. said and JJ knew he had him invested when he took JJ’s phone to look at the map again.

“Such rookie questions, bro. Tell him you’re trying to take a leak and if he tries to fight you, fall over and get worker’s compensation. Duh.” JJ said like he was asking what color the sky was. 

“That’s actually smart.” John B. said. “But what are you doing?”

“Nonya, cause I’ll be doing phase two. And before you worry your concerned little head about it, no one’s gonna notice and I’m not gonna get caught and go to juvie. Give me more credit than that.” 

“Oh, okay. Sounds awesome. Totally sounds like a good idea, having you do shit on your own at their house.” John B. said sarcastically and JJ nodded at him before John B. dropped his fake smile and he realized he was being a dick. “Nope. We’re only doing phase one or the deal’s off. I’m not having you risk juvie to do something to his car or whatever.”

“I wasn’t going to!” JJ said but that’s exactly what he had been planning so he didn’t say anything else. John B. knew him way too well.

“Yeah, ok. Let’s go. I’ll drop you off at their neighbors, we’re not taking your bike.” John B. said, going towards the van.

“Fine by me. I can blaze up on the way then.” JJ said, hopping in the back.

“Sounds like a good way to end your last day of being on Peterkin’s radar.”

“It really does.” JJ agreed, pulling out a joint he had rolled earlier in preparation for his big day.

Today was going to be the shit, he could just feel it.

* * *

JJ rushed through the jobs he was given at the neighbor’s house and lurked near the Cameron’s fence when the clock hit eleven. He saw John B. looking for him, oil from the boat covering his shirt like they had planned. He flipped him off so he would see him and saw him flip him off from the yard as he approached their back door. JJ was happy to see that there was only one car in their huge driveway and it wasn’t Rafe’s. He was pretty sure they would have no problem pulling this off. 

He saw the maid talking to John B. who was doing a convincing job from where JJ was of looking pathetic before he pulled his shirt off and passed it to her, going inside. JJ laughed at the fact that he was going to be roaming around shirtless in their house before he moved to wait by their gate like they had planned. 

He pulled out his vape, trying some new tricks while he waited, holding his phone in his other hand in case John B. texted. He got a thumbs up emoji from him followed by a bald man emoji five minutes in and was glad it was going well. He heard a car pull down the street but didn’t look at it until it was close to the Cameron’s gate and then he tried to turn away and walk back towards the neighbors but it was too late. 

“There a reason you’re standing so close to my gate?” Ward asked him, window rolled down to type his fancy code in. JJ saw Rose in the passenger seat and he was relieved that it wasn’t Rafe. 

“Sorry, sir. I was just-” JJ started but Rose leaned over to talk to him through the window. 

“He’s here to fix the window in my office, Ward. Right? You’re the window boy? Finally! Follow us in and I’ll show you where.” Rose said and JJ didn’t know what she was smoking or why she thought some random teenager was her window repair guy, but he was high and he wasn’t going to turn down an invitation to get inside and do some damage. 

“Yes, ma’am.” JJ said, saluting her. He followed their fancy car in and waited as she got out. Ward left them immediately, not looking twice at the situation before going around back to their guest house, which was bigger than JJ and John B’s houses combined. He wondered if Ward lived out there and almost laughed. 

“It’s been so nice out and I can’t even open all of my windows. You have no idea how hard that’s been for me. I need a ton of fresh air or I get sick, it’s basically a medical condition.” Rose was saying as she walked ahead in her stilettos. JJ smirked and followed her inside. He knew this would be easy money. 

Even though he, Pope and John B. had been inside before when they got revenge last year, it had been dark and he hadn’t ever seen it for real. He couldn’t believe how big it was. He had been going in a lot of Kook mansions for community service, but this one was more ridiculous than any of them.

He followed Rose towards her office right as John B. was sliding down the banister in a lavender polo shirt, looking like some kind of weird surfer/Kook hybrid. JJ burst out laughing when he saw him, unable to keep it in and John B.’s eyes widened comically when he saw JJ and Rose. 

Rose didn’t notice or didn’t care and kept walking, clearly expecting JJ to follow her and John B. stopped and gestured at him frantically with his hands and eyes but JJ just shrugged and smiled and pointed towards Rose, following her and laughing at John B.

“I’ve got a window to fix, bro. No time to chit chat.” He said to him over his shoulder and he thought he heard him trying to whisper yell at him but he ignored it, following Rose into her huge office. What she did, he didn’t know, but he almost laughed when he saw that she had at least ten windows, nine of them open to let the breeze in. She had acted like it was an emergency.

“It’s this one. Can you fix it? It’s completely stuck shut.” She said, arms crossed, pouting like it was so hard having one window out of ten that didn’t open.

“I can fix anything, ma’am. That’s our motto.” JJ said confidently, walking over to the window and giving it a jiggle. The window was only a tiny bit stuck and once he jiggled it, it popped open easily like the rest. She clapped like she couldn’t have done it herself or had Ward do that and he smiled at her. 

“You’re a lifesaver! You’re so strong. I thought I was going to die without the equilibrium of the breezes.” She said, opening her purse and pulling out a hundred dollar bill. JJ tried not to let his eyes bug out before pretending it was too much. 

“No, ma’am, that is way too much. If I didn’t have to take care of my mom, who’s sick with Alzheimer's, I wouldn’t even accept money. I’m just doing what I love.” He said, putting on his act. 

“Take it. For doing such an honorable service. You just saved my day.” Rose smiled and he thought she had started to check him out but he wasn’t sure. JJ took it easily, shoving it in his pocket. 

“That means a lot. Call us anytime, ma’am. You know our number. We’re always here if you need anything.” JJ said, laying it on thick as he walked towards the hallway. Rose was already sitting down at her fancy desk, her breezes hitting her just how she liked it and JJ laughed to himself as he walked out. 

He saw John B. back on the yacht through the huge kitchen windows and laughed at the image of him in a polo shirt again before getting his phone out. He couldn’t resist taking the perfect selfie of himself with the hundred dollar bill in Rafe’s kitchen, John B. over one shoulder in the background and some snobby family portrait over his other shoulder. 

He sent it to the Pogues, ignoring Pope’s frantic responses as his phone blew up and headed towards their front door, smiling. He couldn’t believe his luck. Not only had they set up their revenge perfectly, but he had made a shit ton of money without even doing anything illegal.

* * *

“How?” John B. demanded him to tell him when he met him later at the van. “How did you make money out of that situation!” 

“Rose saw me and was like, damn. He’s hot as shit, I need him to fix my window.” JJ said, waving the money at him as they got in. “Nice polo shirt, dude. Lavender’s totally your color.” 

John B. ripped the shirt off, throwing it in the back, driving them shirtless instead and JJ laughed at him as he started vaping. 

“Yeah, I’m sure Rose just dreams of teenage boys. Especially scrawny ones like you. Did you tell her that you finally learned how to burp the ABC’s last night?” John B. said and JJ threw a random Skittle he found on the ground at him and he swerved. 

“Watch who you’re calling scrawny. Rose didn’t think so. She was all ‘Oh JJ, thank you for giving me an equation of breezes and shit! You’re so strong!’” JJ laughed.

“An equation of breezes?” John B. asked. “That doesn’t even make sense, dumbass.”

“It’s what the dude’s mom said, bro. She said she was gonna die without all of her windows giving her a breeze. It’s a medical condition. And then she pulled out the dough.”

“She’s not his mom, dumbass. And I bet she tips everyone like that.” John B. said. 

“Has she tipped you?” JJ demanded, smirking when John B. stayed silent. “Yep. Just me, cause I’m the shit. She was looking at me.”

“Whatever, dude. I’ll let Pope yell at you for that. Now when shit goes down with Rafe they’re gonna know it was us since we were both inside!” 

“You’re just jealous.” JJ defended. “Hey, take us to Jordan’s, I want to stock up on the good shit now that I’m loaded.”

“No, I’m gonna be late to meet Madison. Look, there’s Heyward. You want me to drop you off with him? See if he’ll take you.” John B. said as they drove past Heyward’s store and saw Heyward outside, meeting the delivery man.

“Um, negative, bro. Come on! His house is so far out and I always get hit by branches and shit on my bike cause they don’t trim the trees there.” JJ complained. 

John B. swerved over when they got close to The Wreck and pulled them in, seeing that Kie was flagging them down. Sometimes it paid off to be on such a small island and for John B. to have such an obvious car. It was almost always easy to find each other.

“Go hang out with Kie. She’ll drive you there. She does all that shit with you. I’ve got a girl to mack on.” John B. said. 

JJ lit up when he saw Kie, excited to tell her in person that their plan had been a success. 

“So do I.” JJ laughed. 

“As if she would let you even try it.” John B. laughed at the idea. JJ held back his story, wanting to tell him that he had, even though that wasn’t how it was between he and Kie at all and he had to keep it a secret. He just smirked at him.

“No Pogue on Pogue macking was literally invented because of me, bro.” JJ bragged, hopping out of the van as John B. rolled his eyes.

“Don’t let him near you, Kie. He’s horny.” John B. said and Kie made a face, stepping away from JJ dramatically.

“Shut up, John B. Don’t you have somewhere to be? Kie and I have money to blow.” JJ said, pulling out his money again to show it to Kie. 

“That’s the only thing of yours that will be getting blown.” John B. said, laughing at his own little joke as he drove away. 

“Okay, barf.” Kie said, holding it up to the sun to check that it was real. “How the _hell_ did you make money at the Cameron’s?”

JJ launched into his story, proud that they had accomplished everything and gotten richer.

“Oh my god, Rose is such an idiot. I bet she didn’t even call a window company.” Kie said.

“She was totally checking me out, Kie.” He said before looking for her car. He didn’t want to spend time at The Wreck.

“Yeah, I bet. She was always all over Rafe’s friends whenever I was there.” Kie said, making a face about Rose but he ignored it. He was happy with the money.

“Where’s your car? Can we go to Jordan’s? I want to get the good shit. We can go to Rixon’s and get high as fuck after.” JJ said. 

“I rode with my dad.” Kie said and JJ gave her a look. 

“Why’d you flag me down! Now we’re stranded here!” JJ said to her. 

“Dramatic. Pope’s like a block away, he said he was done work now, too. Let’s get him and go.” She said. 

“First of all, get Pope and take him to Jordan’s? He would pass away just from the idea. Second of all, he doesn’t have a car either Kie!”

“Chill out, JJ! He’ll be fine and we can walk to my house and get my car, dumbass. It’s literally five minutes away.” Kie said, going towards The Wreck. 

JJ relaxed at that but didn’t like the direction she was going in. “Where are you going? Pope’s that way.” He said, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. 

“I need to tell my dad I’m leaving and I was gonna get us free food.” Kie said and JJ shut up at that. “You coming?” She said and he hesitated. 

“I’ll wait here.” He said, going over to the edge of the parking lot to vape away from the customers who were coming and going. 

Kie just gave him a look before going inside, coming out ten minutes later with a big bag of food. JJ went over to grab it but she blocked him, knowing he would eat it all in minutes.

“Can you at least wait until we get to Pope? Give him a chance!” Kie said and JJ stopped trying. They started to walk towards the road to leave The Wreck when JJ heard Mr. C. It was like he had a radar for when JJ was in his vicinity. He had successfully avoided him for six weeks and he didn’t plan on stopping now. 

He wasn’t ever going to forgive him for what he had done and he also honestly felt fucking _betrayed_ that he had lied about how he was going to get his dad some help and had instead done the worst thing he could do for him and his dad by calling DCS.

“Kiara, wait! I forgot to tell you that we need you back for dinner tonight.” Mr. C called and they turned around to face him. Or Kie did. JJ stayed facing the other direction until it was awkward and turned around. 

“Okay.” Kie said, probably wondering why he came out to tell her that when he could have texted her. “I will be, Dad.” 

“Hi, JJ. How are you?” Mr. C said to him, all politely, and he almost wanted to roll his eyes but just gave him a lazy wave instead.

“Yeah, I’m all good. Thanks for the grub.” He said, ready to get away from him. He knew he was looking at him to see if he had bruises and was more than happy that he didn’t. Mr. C could suck it. It’s not like his dad did that to him that often. “You ready, Kie?” 

“Yeah. See you later, Dad.” She said, waving at him as they turned and walked away. 

“Six o’clock, Kiara!” Mr. C yelled after her and she waved at him again. 

“Sorry. You know my dad feels bad about the situation and how it happened though, right? I'm sure that’s why he ran out when he heard you were with me.” Kie told him as they walked. 

“What situation?” JJ said, playing dumb. He snatched the bag of food from her and ran away, making her chase him to Heyward’s. He wasn’t going to talk about that shit again. 

“JJ, don’t eat Pope’s!” Kie yelled after him. She was fast and almost caught up but JJ was faster. 

JJ ended up losing in the end when he ran head first into the man delivering fish to Heyward’s and Heyward put him to work to make up for it. But at least he had his one hundred bucks.

* * *

Two days later, they were all at the Chateau, feeling better than ever. JJ had been officially removed from Peterkin’s ‘program’, it was almost Spring Break and they had had revenge. They were together on a school night for once since Kie and Pope had finished studying and taking their midterms. JJ and John B. just answered the questions with their best guesses since they didn’t care about grades.

The results of John B.’s handiwork had come through earlier, when they saw Rafe walking around, hat on to hide the new buzz cut he had gotten to disguise the patchiness. It hadn’t taken all of his hair out, but it had done something. He definitely didn’t need hair gel anymore and JJ didn’t feel bad at all. 

Pope told them all they were assholes and JJ would have agreed if John B. hadn’t reminded Pope of all of the shit he had done to them and to Kie and JJ especially over the past two years. If anyone deserved something embarrassing happening to them, it was him. 

“And then, my fucking pants ripped! And I had to stand there practically butt-ass naked right near all of these Kook moms! It’s not funny, Kie. What? You want a reenactment, John B?” JJ said, getting up from the hammock to moon John B, who was laughing so hard he almost fell off his chair.

“Put that thing away, JJ.” Kie laughed when he threatened to pull his shorts down. “We don’t want a reenactment.”

“Only because you asked, Kie. I'll get John B. back later.” He said. 

JJ’s phone started buzzing a lot and he looked down at it, smile falling when he saw who was texting. He suddenly couldn’t focus on anything else but the fact that his mom was texting him and he recognized the word hospital. His heart was pounding, blood rushing to his head as he tried to focus on the rest of the message.

Once he realized that it was from his mom, saying that Mimi was in the hospital and that she wanted him to come, he started to feel sick. He tried to ignore the possessive usage of his mom calling Mimi ‘my mom’ instead of ‘Mimi’ or ‘your grandma’. He didn’t know what had happened to Mimi or how bad it must be if she wanted him to come, but he knew it must be serious. He didn’t have a driver’s license and had no way of getting there with just a dirt bike. It was a ten hour drive. 

“JJ? You okay?” He heard Pope say, and he felt his hand on his shoulder. He heard Kie and John B. stop laughing and look over too. “What is it?”

JJ just held the phone up so they could read the message and they all looked confused before putting the dots together. 

“Oh my god! Your grandma is in the hospital? What happened?” Kie said and JJ managed to shrug. 

“I don’t know, Kie! My mom literally just texted me this! What am I supposed to do? I don’t even know what’s wrong and I don’t have a car!” JJ said back loudly, hand shaking a little as he tried to open the message again to answer. 

“Why don’t you ask her what happened? Start there, JJ.” Pope said calmly. He reached out a hand for the phone and JJ let him take it without a fight. “I can type if you want?” 

JJ nodded, happy to have someone else deal with his mom, even if she thought it was him. Pope was faster at typing anyways and he didn’t want to use the microphone to text in front of them. It’s not that he couldn’t text, it’s just that it took him awhile. 

“I’m gonna ask what happened and if she’s okay.” Pope said, showing JJ. 

“Of course she’s not okay, Pope! She’s in the hospital and couldn’t even text me herself!” JJ said, hovering over his shoulder as he sent it. He saw the dots that showed that his mom was typing and tried to pretend it was someone else texting them. He was sure she wouldn’t have even told him anything had happened if Mimi hadn’t asked her to. 

“She says that she had a heart attack and they need to do surgery soon and there’s a chance she might not make it so Mimi wanted you to come.” Pope read, looking at JJ worriedly. 

“Shit! Why would she have a heart attack? She’s so young! For a grandma, I mean. And she’s healthy, she’s always growing vegetables and shit!” JJ said, taking his hat off and flipping it around nervously before putting it back on, pacing near Pope. 

“They can happen to anyone, JJ.” Pope said. “I’m sure she’ll be okay. I mean, it’s technically Spring Break starting Friday. We could go down there with you? John B, do you think the van would make it that far? Or we could take Kie’s car.”

“Wait, woah, slow down. I can’t go there, Pope! I just can’t.” JJ said, mind made up. 

“JJ! She’s your grandma and she asked for you! You have to! We can all come, too. We’ll just leave tomorrow after school and skip Friday.” Kie said. 

“As if either of your parents will let you guys go on a road trip like that. Especially you, Kie.” John B. said, going over to JJ and putting his arm around him. “You have to go, JJ. I’ll come with you so you don’t have to be alone with your mom or anything. But you can’t not go.”

Kie and John B. argued about that for a minute while JJ pulled away from John B. to go inside and roll a blunt. His hands were shaky and he didn’t know how to handle the situation. Not only was it terrifying to think of Mimi not making it and being in the hospital, probably in pain, but it was really hard having to hear from his mom and talk with her and think about her.

He was only able to pull out his rolling paper and weed before he heard Pope come inside. He was glad John B. and Kie didn’t seem to be behind him, not that he didn’t love them, but sometimes the three of them together were too much against him when he didn’t want to do something.

“Here’s your phone. Your mom just called. Do you want me to talk to her and find out more information for you?” Pope offered, holding out his phone. He saw more texts coming through from his mom but he closed it and put it in his pocket. 

“No, dude. Thanks, but I can’t deal with this right now. I need to get high. She can wait. She’s literally crazy.” He said, starting to roll his blunt. 

“I know it’s hard to deal with her but this can’t really wait. You need to find out when your grandma’s surgery is so we can figure out how to get there. I can talk to your mom so all you have to do is go to the hospital.” Pope offered and JJ knew he was going above and beyond for him as usual but he couldn’t deal with it. 

“Leave it alone, Pope. I can’t handle it right now, give me a second to think!” He said, finishing rolling it and standing up. “I’ll call her once I’m high, okay?” 

He went and locked himself in John B’s room, ignoring what Pope was saying, laying on the bed and getting high as the sun set. He heard Pope and Kie and John B. in the living room and could tell John B. was making one of his creations in the kitchen using whatever food he had laying around, but he couldn’t join them without calling her first.

Despite his high, his hand was still shaky when he pushed the button to call his mom, who for her part, hadn’t seemed to stop sending messages. He didn’t get why she suddenly cared so much about filling him in or getting him to come there, but he didn’t want to know.

“Finally! I’ve been texting you for an hour! What’s more important than this?” His mom’s voice said and every time he heard it, it hurt. 

“I don’t get what happened.” He said, fighting down the urge to ask her the same thing about why she never called him for years. He wasn’t ready to say that to her yet and he didn’t want her to hang up before he found out more. 

“Did you not even read my messages? I don’t have time to keep explaining it. They want to wait till Saturday for the surgery.” She said.

“Ok.” He said, mind racing, trying to figure out what to say. He almost wished he hadn’t just smoked, unable to form a sentence. 

“Ok? That’s it? You should come down here.” His mom said, annoyed. 

He didn’t know how she expected that when he was fifteen and had nothing but a dirt bike. He didn’t have money to fly there and the drive would take hours. 

“I don’t have a car.” He said, unable to think about anything else. 

“Borrow one! Don’t you have money? Buy a plane ticket or something. Just figure it out. I’ve got to go, the baby’s crying. Just read my messages.” His mom answered. He didn’t hear the baby crying and knew she just wanted to get off since she hated him. 

“Ok-” He started to say but he heard the dial tone as she hung up. He hung up, feeling like a huge unwanted piece of shit.

He got up and opened the door, not wanting to be alone and almost ran into Kie who seemed like she had been listening at the door.

“I was coming to get you. John B. made some new creation and he wants us all to try it.” She said, acting like she had just walked up. 

He was way too high to question her about if she was listening in and just followed her back to the kitchen. “What’s this shit called, JB?” He asked when he saw “dinner” and Pope nervously poking it on his paper plate. 

“It’s fish and chips, duh.” John B. said and Kie laughed at him. 

“That’s not what fish and chips is, dumbass. It’s supposed to be fish and fries, not cereal and barbeque chips mixed with some random trout you caught three days ago.” She said. 

JJ didn’t care either way, focusing on it to stop thinking about Mimi and his mom, trying it and giving John B. a thumbs up. John B. made the best food. Pope tried his and gagged, spitting it up dramatically. 

“Are there Fruit Loops in here?” He asked, spitting it out in the sink. 

“Duh.” John B. said, shoveling his in his mouth like it was the best thing ever. JJ could tell that they all wanted to talk about Mimi more and ask if he had called his mom but he just kept eating, hopping up on the counter and grabbing more. 

“We should go check out those new Kook mansions they’re building for the Tourons and see if they built the hot tubs yet.” He suggested, reaching over to open the fridge and trying to pull out the jug of soda. 

He felt the other three looking at each other.

“Okay...but what did your mom say? Did you talk to her? We should get ready to go there tomorrow, JJ. It’s important.” Pope said. 

“Why don’t you ask Kie? She was listening at the door, right?” JJ said, getting the bottle and drinking straight from it before John B. took it and poured some into a red cup for him instead.

“No I wasn’t! I was getting you to tell you that there was food!” She said, but she looked guilty.

“Yeah, okay, Kie.” He said, chugging his soda and burping. She made a face at him and he made one back.

“JJ, cut the shit. What'd she say?” John B. demanded. 

“She just said I need to fly or drive there and I said I don’t have a car and she was like ‘figure it out’. And then she pretended her baby was crying and hung up on me. I’m not going. I can Facetime Mimi or something, I bet. People have surgery all the time, she’ll be okay.” He said, but he was really worried and didn’t know if that was true.

“Yeah, but JJ, even if she’s fine, which we hope she is, she asked for you to come. It will make her feel good to see you there for her. We need to go.” Kie said. “We already decided we can take the van and we can drive part of the way after school tomorrow.”

“Oh, I’m glad you guys can just decide to go visit _my_ grandma without asking me!” JJ said, annoyed. 

“Shut up, JJ. You know we love you, that’s why we set it up. All you have to worry about is being ready by three-thirty tomorrow.” John B. said, getting another plateful. 

“Yeah, well, maybe I won’t be. I’ll have to think about it.” He said, just to be a dick before drinking from the soda bottle again, turning away when John B. tried to grab it. He kicked him and John B. gave up. 

“Dick.” John B. said. 

“Yeah, I’m a huge dick. And you know why that is right? The bigger the dick, the bigger the dick, if you know what I’m saying.” JJ said to him, laughing.

“Okay, gross.” Kie said, making a face at them.

“Can we not talk about dicks right now? We should probably all go home and get ready for tomorrow. JJ, did you want us to get your mom’s number and contact her for you for the rest of this?” Pope offered. 

JJ didn’t want anyone else exposed to his mom and as much as he pretended he wasn’t going to Florida, he knew he wasn’t going to miss it. He had to go for Mimi, but he hadn’t been there in years or really spent any time there since the monster and he didn’t know if he could handle Mimi being in danger, his mom and being back where it all happened to him at the same time. 

“Thanks, but hell no, bro. I've got it.” He said, hopping off the counter and heading for the pullout. 

“You want a ride?” Pope offered as he and Kie got ready to go. 

“Nah, John B. can drive me home later or whatever.” JJ said, throwing himself down and turning the tv on to distract him from his worries. 

“I’m sorry, John B. can what?” John B. said as he went over to join him, another plateful of food with him. 

“Drive me wherever I want, when I want.” JJ clarified, stealing some chips from his plate and crunching them loudly. 

“I’m not driving your ass anywhere.” John B. denied, pushing him away from his plate. “Get your own.” 

“Alright, then I guess we’ll see you tomorrow? Text us if anything else happens, JJ!” Kie said, walking towards the door. 

“Lame. It’s not even seven!” JJ said to them, but he was happy to just be with John B. He understood more than either of them how hard it was to hear from his mom and how important Mimi was to him. 

“Again, I just want to say that I dare you to call my dad lame to his face when he tells me to come home.” Pope said and Kie agreed. JJ wanted nothing to do with either of their dads and was glad that his didn’t ever give a shit where he was.

Pope and Kie left and John B. and JJ laid around eating the rest of the food and laughing (or fake laughing like JJ) at the shit on tv before John B. took JJ’s phone and pushed in his code confidently, reading the messages from his mom. JJ didn’t even care, high and tired, so he let him. 

“Your mom’s crazy.” John B. said, throwing his phone back to him. “Those messages from a few months ago are like all emojis and now it’s just all caps and craziness.”

“Yeah, well, she’s probably on heroin again. Who knows.” JJ said, staying quiet for a minute before admitting how he felt. “I’m kind of scared that Mimi's not gonna make it. She’s literally the only good person in my family. Like solidly good. I don’t get why this has to happen to her, of all people.” 

“She’ll be cool. Like you said, she’s not even old for a grandma and she eats broccoli and shit.” John B. said. 

“I said she eats vegetables, bro. Not fruit.” 

“Oh my god. Broccoli is a vegetable, JJ.” John B. said, looking over at him like he was crazy. 

“No, dude. Pay attention at school. It’s a fruit. Like, everyone knows that.” JJ said, confident in his answer. 

“Okay, it’s not, but either way. My point is, she’ll be okay and so will you.” John B. said before realizing how sappy he sounded and grabbing JJ’s face to try to smack a big kiss on his cheek. JJ fought him off, yelling about meningitis and successfully avoided him and anything serious the rest of the night. 

Even if he wasn’t ready for Florida, it seemed like Florida was ready for him. 

* * *

Pope made them stop at his house after school the next day so he could pack some stuff before they left and JJ was genuinely surprised he was even allowed to go. He realized why when he was immediately cornered by Mrs. Heyward upon entering their house. 

“Sweetie, I’m so sorry! I know she’ll be okay, but you must be so worried. We’ll be praying for her and I told Pope to text me at least one hundred times a day with updates. Are you boys going to be careful driving down there? I told Pope he had to turn on Find My Friends so I know where you guys are at all times. And you need to tell us when you get to your mom's house.” She said, hugging him. JJ hugged her back and tried to play it off. He wasn't going to clarify that they weren't staying anywhere near his mom if he could help it. 

“I’m sure she’ll be cool, Mrs. Heyward. She’s tough. Thanks for letting Pope come. He’ll keep us in check, he’s basically a forty year old woman in a sixteen year old’s body.” He said as they let go and John B. made a face at him at his lame joke over her shoulder. 

“She will be, you’re right. You’re a good grandson, going all the way there for her. Your dad wasn’t able to take you?” Mrs. Heyward asked him, but he saw her face change when she brought up his dad.

“He has to work and he and Mimi and my mom don’t get along, so it’s better for him to stay here.” JJ said. It wasn’t a lie, he just hadn’t told his dad about any of it. He figured he wouldn’t even notice if he went missing for a few days and if he did, oh well.

Mrs. Heyward clearly didn’t like that answer but she didn’t say anything else about him, focusing on JJ’s second least favorite topic instead. 

“Oh, well it’s nice that you’ll get to see your mom. I’m sure she’s excited to see you.” Mrs. Heyward said before turning to the kitchen and bringing out bags of food for them to take in the car. JJ didn’t want to think about his mom and how she had definitely never been excited to see him in his entire life. He and John B. thanked her and went to wait in the car, JJ smoking up in the back, trying to slow down all of his racing thoughts. 

An hour later, they were waiting on the pullout for Kie, ready to go whether JJ wanted to or not when they heard her pull up. 

“I hate my parents.” Kie said as she came into the room, throwing her backpack down.

“I knew they wouldn’t let you go.” John B. said. “They don’t even want you hanging with us on a regular day, let alone driving halfway down the coast for a days at a time.”

“Shut up, John B. It’s not fair. Like, I literally have to go through this with them so much! All they do is talk about how I need to stop hanging out with you guys and focus on making friends with the assholes at the Kook academy. They don’t listen to me at all!” 

“That sucks, Kie.” JJ said, not sure what else he could say. He hadn’t thought she would be able to come either. “It’s not gonna be fun though, you won’t miss shit.” 

“I know because I’m not missing it. Fuck that. I packed my shit and hid it in my backpack last night. I’m not letting them hold me back anymore.” Kie said to them. 

“Kie! No! That’s a horrible idea! You can’t go if they said no. They’ll call the cops on us! They’ll murder us! They’ll murder you!” Pope said immediately and JJ secretly agreed but he wasn’t one to talk. He wouldn’t listen to them either. 

“Yeah, Kie, maybe you should stay here. Your dad’s gonna skin all of us alive if we take you on a road trip after he said no.” John B. added. 

“No! I’m not staying and missing this just because they want me to spend time with Kooks and make friends with girls instead or whatever! I already miss enough shit you guys do because they make me go to the country club or Kook parties or whatever. And a different school! I’m gonna be there for my friend. Pogues for life, right?” Kie said, looking at them. 

John B. and Pope just looked uncomfortable and Kie turned to JJ for support. “You agree, right JJ? You know how much my dad sucks.” 

JJ shrugged. “Yeah, I mean, I don’t like the dude and I think you should come, but I’m fucking stupid, so what do I know?” 

“You’re not stupid, JJ. But this is a stupid idea, Kie.” Pope said. 

“Shut up, Pope. You guys need me! How are you going to pay for all that gas? The van literally eats gas. And hotels! How? Because this isn’t cheap and I know y’all are broke.” Kie said. 

“Kie, no, you’re not paying for this shit!” JJ said. “We’ll sleep in the van or get one of those twenty-dollar-a-night motels. Trust me, Florida is full of them.” He knew that all too well from when he had to live with his mom for five weeks. 

“It’s not gonna be my money and we won’t have to stay in a cockroach infested motel because...” Kie trailed off, giving them a look. She pulled out a shiny black credit card from her pocket and flashed it at them. “This one’s on my parents.”

“Kie, no, bad idea. And I thought this couldn’t get any worse.” Pope said immediately.

“Will you all just shut up and listen to me! You don’t get what it’s like with them! They won’t even notice. A thousand dollars for them is like one dollar for you guys. I want them to know what it’s like, having something happen to them that they have no control over. Cause that’s been my whole past two years at the Kook Academy.” Kie said loudly. 

“I don’t know, Kie. Your dad finally stopped glaring at me and threatening to end my life when I see him. That was progress for us. I don’t want to ruin it.” John B. said cautiously.

“It’s not you doing it. It’s me. Come on. JJ? Think of all the shit my dad's done to you this year. It's the least he owes you." Kie said to him.

"I don't know, Kie." He said, unsure what to do with that. Kie still didn't know that he had stolen from her dad.

"I’m not talking about it anymore. Now are we going or are we going?” Kie asked. 

“I’m going but I still think you guys should all stay here. I can handle it on my own. I’ve got my bike so I’m good.” JJ said. 

“JJ, shut up and put your stuff in the car. If you’re going, we’re going.” Pope said and JJ gave in, happy to have his friends with him on this. It wasn’t going to be easy, dealing with all of it. 

“Yeah, shut up, JJ.” John B. said, avoiding the backpack that went sailing towards his head when JJ threw it. 

“I’ll shut up from the driver’s seat cause I call driving first!” JJ yelled, grabbing his backpack and running outside. He heard all three of them cuss him out and grab their stuff to chase after him.

“You don’t even have a license!” Pope yelled at him when he made it in, slamming the door right as John B. was catching up.

“Yeah, exactly, you’re just a baby. Let the pro’s handle this. Maybe when you finally turn sixteen, we’ll let you drive.” John B. said, ripping the door open and trying to wrestle him out.

“Fuck off, bro. It’s only three months away, no one cares about licenses!” JJ said, kicking John B. when he tried to put him in a headlock. John B. grunted and let go and JJ started the car and smirked at him. 

“Just let him drive us off the island. Then we’ll take over. Except you, Pope. You drive like my great grandma.” Kie said, getting in the back. 

“Oh, I’m sorry I care about following the rules and being safe.” Pope said, but he got in the passenger seat. John B. had no choice but to get in the back with Kie and JJ laughed at him.

“There’s safe and then there’s you, Pope.” JJ said, shaking his head and backing out. “You almost got pulled over for going too slow last time I drove with you, dude.” 

“No I didn’t. And can you drive with both hands? You aren’t high, are you? Oh my god, Kie! Why’d you let him drive! He’s totally baked! How am I just now realizing this? JJ, stop the car! Watch out for Kie!” Pope yelled as the rooster ran towards the van to play chicken.

JJ hoped it wasn’t an indicator of how their trip was going to go when their last rooster took her last breath when he hit her in the first minute of the trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know they had similar revenge in the prequel to this, but the idea bank was running low- sorry! I know it was lame and also not nice.
> 
> I'm pretty sure that there are two chapters left unless everything explodes in Florida, which is a possibility. But still to come before this story is over: Florida, JJ will realize that the monster is still alive, Mr. C will talk to Luke and some happy times, too! A happy ending for sure. (after a million words of drama) 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	25. The Most Magical Place on Earth

“And that’s why we’re using my parent’s credit card. There’s nowhere to sleep.” Kie said as Pope fell off the seat from where he had been sleeping when John B. slammed on the breaks on the highway as they hit traffic. 

“Kie, bad idea. And you know it’s bad if I’m saying that. Let’s just get a motel or some shit. I’ve got a couple twenties.” JJ said from the front, looking back at Pope. He seemed like he had been having a great sleep, he didn’t know what Kie was talking about.

“Two words: bedbugs and lice.” Kie answered. “Some of us actually have hair we take care of and I am not dealing with an infestation from some sketchy motel we find.” 

“Really, Kie? I’m sitting right here. You see my hair, right? Second best in the group. I don’t want bed bugs or lice either.” John B. said and JJ agreed but he didn’t want to admit it was a high possibility. 

“ _My_ hair is second best, bro. Then Pope. And what do you mean there’s nowhere to sleep in here? It’s perfect!” JJ said. He didn’t think they would have a problem. He could sleep anywhere. 

John B. burped and JJ gave him an impressed look at how big it was.

“Nice one, dude.” He said to John B, sending one back at him.

“I think that just answered my question. We need space. I can’t sleep with the burping and the snoring.” Kie said after hearing that. 

“You’re gonna be murdered, Kie.” Pope said. “It’s not a good idea. Did your parents text you yet?”

“I just told them where I was and I’m not checking to see what they say. They can’t keep controlling me.” She said and JJ disagreed as much as he agreed. 

“Enough with the serious shit. Let’s have some fucking fun while we can! John B, are you not seeing this shit, bro?” JJ said as John B. kept driving ahead. 

“What shit?” He asked. 

“The signs for the world’s biggest toilet. We’ve got to go see that! Exit 69, baby! Perfect number.” JJ said, surprised no one else had been paying attention. 

“Wait, what? Are you talking about the signs with the toilet on them, JJ?” Pope said.

“Duh. Exit 69.” JJ said, turning around to face him. 

“Those are literally just for rest stops.” Kie said to him. “And stop saying 69. You’re so immature.” 

“Oh, I’m immature? Kie, you literally had a burping contest with me an hour ago, don’t even try to deny it.” JJ said back. 

“We’re halfway there. You guys wanna look for somewhere to crash and finish the other half in the morning?” John B. said. 

“I just got us a hotel.” Kie said, on her phone. “It’s in two exits.” 

“We’re dead. I can’t believe you’re making us take your dad’s money.” Pope said, voice going up an octave.

“It’s fine, Pope. Relax.” Kie said, looking unbothered. 

“Does it have a pool, Kie? Or a hot tub? Nothing better than jets going straight up your butt.” JJ asked. 

“Yes, yes and ew.” Kie answered, but JJ knew she agreed. Everyone liked that.

“Sweet. What exit is this fancy Kook hotel, Kie?” John B. asked. 

Kie looked at JJ before rolling her eyes. “69.” 

“It’s gonna be a fucking sick hotel, I can feel it, Kie. I knew we were meant to go there! Can we go to see the big toilet, too?” JJ said to her and they all told him no. 

“Is weed legal here?” John B. asked as they drove past a car going half the speed limit, smelling like weed. 

“No. Thank god. And we wouldn’t be old enough to buy it anyway, dumbass.” Pope said to him. 

“Good thing I stocked up before we left.” JJ said. 

“Thank god.” Kie said, opening his bag to look for it. 

“It’s all there, Kie. Start rolling, baby.”

“Don’t call me baby.” Kie said back.

“And don’t start rolling it. Idiot! Why would you bring that much! What if we get pulled over?” Pope said, eyes bugging out when he saw the baggie.

“Pope, listen dude. I’m about to go through some shit and you need to let me do what I gotta do, okay? I need to get high as shit, drunk as shit and have some fucking fun tonight before tomorrow. Are you in or are you in?” JJ said.

“This isn’t gonna go well.” Pope said, rolling his eyes.

“Just relax and smoke up, Pope.” John B. said helpfully. 

“I’ll relax when we’re back in Kildare, safe and unarrested.” Pope said.

“That’s not a word, Pope.” Kie said. 

“It is for us. I’m inventing it. We better stay unarrested. You know what? Forget unarrested. I’m aiming for alive. If we all come back alive, it will be a miracle.” Pope said and JJ agreed, thinking of Mimi and his mom and everything waiting for him there. It would definitely be a miracle if everyone survived the next few days. 

* * *

The next afternoon, they pulled up to the hospital after another five long hours in the car, tired and hungover. JJ was high as could be, hoping that it would help him get through it, but no amount of weed could cure him of his anxiety at the situation. They stopped at the front desk and got Mimi’s room number from the receptionist before going towards her room. 

“Woah, woah, woah! Hold it. You can’t all go back there!” A nurse yelled at them as they walked towards the double doors to get to the ICU.

“Okay, damn, ma’am. I’m just trying to visit my grandma. She’s back there! They just told us her room number.” JJ said to her, confused about why she was acting like they were robbing a bank. 

“You can go. But unless these other ones are related, they need to wait here.” She said, glaring at him. JJ glared back. He wasn’t in the mood for this.

“We’re cousins.” John B. said to her, smiling his smile that he used on people when he wanted to get something. JJ wanted to roll his eyes at it but he appreciated the effort. He needed John B. to come back there with him.

“So it’s your grandma, too?” The nurse asked and JJ and John B. were stumped by that. Pope nodded at them subtly.

“Yes..?” John B. said, looking at Pope to see if that was true. Pope threw his hands up behind the nurse’s back and John B. changed his tone to be more confident. “Yeah, he’s my younger cousin. His name’s JJ. He’s a pain in the ass but we love him anyway.” 

“What? Younger? As if. What the hell, bro?” JJ said. 

“Okay, you two can go, but the other two need to wait out here, then.” The nurse said before walking away. 

“Whatta racist.” JJ said as she disappeared and Pope and Kie laughed at him. 

“Racist? I mean we didn’t say anything, that’s why she told us to wait out here.” Pope said, going over to a chair. “You two white boys go. We’ll be right here. Take your time and tell her we say hi.” 

“Yeah, just go. It’ll be okay, JJ. Just focus on her and ignore your mom if she’s there, okay?” Kie said and JJ nodded but he knew that would be impossible. 

“Just sneak back with us.” John B. said to them, but they all gave him a look and he shut up.

“And get all of us kicked out? No thanks. Just go with your cousin. Dumbass.” Kie said, sitting down next to Pope. 

JJ saluted them and pulled John B. towards the double doors. His hands were sweaty and his stomach was flipping around nervously and he really didn’t want Pope and Kie to be anywhere near his mom. It was going to be embarrassing enough having John B. see her again after all these years. At least John B. understood. He was pretty sure his mom was crazy, too.

“Here, it’s this way.” John B. said, pointing to the sign that showed that room 82 was to the left. JJ was glad he was there because he could barely remember what number they had said. 

“Kie’s right. Just focus on Mimi and stuff and I can handle your mom if she’s there.” John B. said quietly as they got to the door. John B. knocked for them and he heard his mom talking but no one told them to come in. John B. shoved the door open anyways, going in first. 

“JJ! My baby!” Mimi said from the bed. JJ could tell she was weak and she didn’t sit up but she reached out her hand to him. 

JJ was tense and nervous and saw his mom on the other side of the bed but he ignored her to take Mimi’s hand. 

“How do you feel, Mimi? I don’t get how this happened. You eat vegetables and shit all the time!” He said and she smiled a little bit and squeezed his hand and didn’t let go. 

“I’ve felt better, but I’ll be okay. I’m so glad you came. And you brought John B. I’m so lucky. How was your flight? I know it was your first time on an airplane. Was it okay? I’m sorry I couldn’t call.” Mimi asked and her eyes were closing while she talked and JJ felt scared seeing her like this. She didn’t look good at all, wires hooked up to her, despite what she said. 

“What? Flight? John B. and my other friends drove me. I didn’t have money to fly.” JJ said, confused. His mom shifted and he looked at her for the first time and he immediately knew she had done something.

“I gave your mom money to transfer to you for the plane.” Mimi said, forcing her eyes open. “Nicole, you sent the money to JJ, right?”

JJ stomach sunk at that and he looked at her again but she was avoiding his eyes. He always felt like an unwanted piece of shit whenever he saw her but the idea that she had kept money from him hurt a lot.

He felt John B. shifting awkwardly next to him but he stayed right nearby and he appreciated it because he couldn’t handle being alone. 

One of the machines started to beep faster and JJ and John B. and his mom all looked at it and JJ didn’t know what it meant but he knew it wasn’t good and that Mimi shouldn’t be getting stressed out by him and his messed up mom but he couldn’t get himself to speak.

“She tried and she even tried sending it to my phone but it didn’t go through so I just offered to drive JJ.” John B. said when JJ just watched the monitor, not knowing what to say. His mom wasn’t offering anything up either. Of course she had spent the money instead of giving it to him. She didn’t even want him there. 

“Okay, I was worried. My surgery’s tomorrow. Will you be here when I wake up, sweetie? It would make me feel better so fast if I got to see you when I opened my eyes.” Mimi said, changing the subject and looking at him again. 

“Yeah, of course.” JJ promised before two nurses came in to wheel Mimi out for a scan. 

“We’ll be back in about thirty minutes if you all want to wait here.” They said to them and JJ was almost sad that it would be so soon, as much as he wanted to be there for Mimi. He really wanted an excuse to get out of the room and away from his mom.

He suddenly found himself alone in the room with his mom and John B. for the first time since he was maybe eight years old and he looked at John B. to see if he wanted to leave. 

“Long time, no see, Ms. Maybank. Congrats on the baby.” John B. said to his mom and JJ and his mom both looked at him.

“Why’re you so familiar?” She said to John B. and JJ wasn’t surprised she didn’t know or remember him. She barely remembered him and he was her kid. 

“John B? JJ’s best friend? Big John’s kid?” John B. said and she looked clueless.

“Teddy’s nephew?” JJ tried and he saw that she recognized him then. He wanted to roll his eyes. 

“Oh, yeah. Well, my name isn’t Maybank, it’s never been.” She said. “Thanks for covering for me.” 

JJ got pissed off, letting his anger take over his nervousness and hurt of what she had done. 

“He only did it for Mimi. So she didn’t have another heart attack hearing about how you stole from her and lied to me. Again.” JJ said and it felt good to stand up to her. 

“I didn’t steal from her, I just needed it for the baby and you found your way here, so it worked out.” Nicole said and JJ doubted that’s what she had used the money on, judging by her appearance.

“Does your baby even live with you?” JJ asked, needing to know. He didn’t know what answer would make him happy. 

“He’s been staying at his dad’s since this happened.” She said, but JJ could tell she was lying. He didn’t ask about the guy, but he wasn’t surprised they weren’t together anymore. She never stuck with anything or anyone too long.

“Did you wanna meet him?” She pressed when he didn’t say anything. “It’s actually been good having a break from him for a little bit, but I bet I could get him tomorrow if you want.”

“Good thing you have a permanent break from me then, right? One less kid to worry about. You can focus on abandoning him next.” JJ said, angry on the baby’s behalf. His mom was already happy to be away from him and he hadn’t even done anything.

“Don’t even, JJ. I came back for you. I came back for you a lot and you always just wanted to go home when you came or you didn’t want to come with me. That’s not my fault, you made it impossible.” She said and John B. stepped in again. 

“You suck.” John B. observed and JJ agreed, but he stayed quiet, trying not to let her words get to him. 

“Stay out of this.” She said to John B. and JJ opened his mouth to defend John B. but he cut him off. 

“No. Not when you’re saying shit to my best friend that’s not true right in front of me. He didn’t do anything wrong.” John B. said.

“I’m not gonna sit here and listen to this.” Nicole said, getting up like she was going to leave. JJ was happy to see her go, hoping that maybe he could have time with just Mimi and John B. when she came back.

“She’ll be back in ten minutes, everyone.” A nurse said, coming in and smiling at them. She looked at JJ and John B. “Which one of you is the grandson she was so excited to see? She didn’t mention she had two!”

“We both are.” JJ and John B. said at the same time, but JJ’s mom ruined that like she did everything. 

“That one shouldn’t even be back here. He’s just my kid’s rude-ass friend, he’s not related to us.” She said before getting up and storming out. 

They all stared after her and JJ had an urge to go after her and tell her that she sucked too, but he looked at John B. instead to see what their plan was. 

“Sorry, I just wanted to be here for my friend, ma’am.” John B. said, giving her his cheesy smile. 

“Don’t worry about it, it’s okay. You can stay for today, I won’t say anything. I don’t think we can let it happen tomorrow, but it’s okay for now. You’re a good friend.” She said, patting him on the shoulder before leaving. 

“Shit. Your mom is the worst, bro.” John B. said, sitting down in one of the chairs. “Don’t listen to her.” 

JJ was starting to feel more angry than anxious as it all sunk in. He couldn’t believe that his mom had stolen the money Mimi had wanted him to use to fly there or that she had gotten rid of her baby already or that she had blamed him again for not being there or that she had just tried to kick John B. out. 

“I can’t do this right now.” JJ said, but he sat down in the chair next to him. 

“Let’s just spend a little bit of time with Mimi since your mom’s gone and then we can all go get high as shit and go swimming in the pool and try to forget about her.” John B. suggested and JJ liked that technique better than what Pope would say. He knew Pope would say that was unhealthy and that they needed to talk about it, but he was already refusing. Talking about his mom never ever helped. 

JJ nodded and John B. did what he did best by taking a stupid video of himself taking his own pulse on the machine. It showed no pulse and he sent it to Pope and Kie. 

“Why don’t I have a pulse?” He asked JJ, putting it on JJ’s finger instead. It started beeping right away and JJ shrugged. 

“It’s the ugly ass shirts.” JJ said and he forced a smile when they brought Mimi back in. John B. ripped the finger monitor off his hand and pretended like he had been sitting next to JJ. 

Mimi smiled at them but JJ could tell she was exhausted. 

“Where’s your mom?” She said, eyes closing. 

“I think she went to go make a call.” John B. lied for JJ. “How do you feel, Mimi?”

“I’m good. Thanks for driving all the way down here with JJ. You’re the best.” She said before opening her eyes and looking at JJ. “Did your mom really try to send the money, JJ? I need to know.”

“Yeah.” He lied without hesitation. He did not want to be responsible for her heart rate increasing or whatever had happened earlier. 

Mimi visibly relaxed and he knew he had done the right thing. 

“Ok, good. I know it’s hard for you to be around her. I hope she was okay with you- I’m sorry I had to leave the room. I really needed you here though cause I just love you so much.” She said to him. “Thanks for doing it for me.” 

“Nah, it’s no big deal. I love you, too.” He said, shaking his head and swallowing a lump.

“I love you guys, too. Group hug?” John B. added. 

“Shut up, John B.” JJ said. Mimi was falling asleep already. “Mimi? We’re gonna let you rest. I’ll be back tomorrow to see you after your surgery, okay?”

She didn’t answer, already fast asleep. 

* * *

“Your dad’s calling me, Kie. What do I do?” John B. said from the bed across the room. JJ had thought he was dead so he was happy to hear his voice. None of them could get out of the fancy hotel beds, especially after the night they had had.

“He is? Oh my god. Just ignore it, what do you mean, what do you do?” She said, sitting up.

JJ’s phone started to buzz a minute later and he looked at it, seeing Mr. C’s number. He repressed a shudder before throwing his phone across the bed. 

“You guys should be glad my _mom_ doesn’t have your numbers.” Kie said and JJ didn’t doubt that. “Actually. Don’t answer any random numbers, okay? That’s exactly something they would try.” 

“I barely answer to you guys, let alone randos.” JJ said and Pope came back in the room with a huge bag full of donuts and threw them at them. They hit Kie in the back of the head and she grabbed them, getting the best donut before chucking it at JJ and John B.

“What’d I miss?” Pope said and JJ felt kind of guilty at how tired he looked. They had been making the most of having no parents around and being in a new place and Pope had been forced to babysit them both nights. 

“I was just saying don’t answer the phone to my dad or any random numbers. My parents keep calling.” Kie said and Pope shook his head in fear for her. 

“This is why I’m glad my dad doesn’t give a shit where I am. I can do whatever I want.” JJ said and then he felt bad when John B. looked at him. He knew he wished Big John would call.

“What time do you have to be there?” Kie asked him, ignoring what he had said. “Do you want to go early? Or should we try to go somewhere first? It feels wrong doing fun stuff when your grandma’s in the hospital.” 

“Not until two. She would want us to have fun and do shit, Kie. Trust me.” JJ said, looking through the binder in the hotel room of things to do. “Do you guys want to go to Dinosaur World?” 

“Dinosaur World? Are we five?” Pope said, but he was standing behind JJ to look and JJ knew he was into it. 

“No, look at the next page. There’s a park with monkeys that swim around and shit. We should go there.” John B. said, grabbing the binder and flipping to it. 

“I think we should stay close by and just go to that waterpark we drove past the other day.” Kie said and they all agreed on that, easily. JJ and John B. had never been to a waterpark and Pope and Kie had fun exaggerating and lying to them about how cool it would be. They didn’t care when they got there and it was just little kids, fighting to go down the only water slide.

They got kicked out when John B. got into a fight with a ten year old over an inner tube, but JJ knew he had been in the right.

* * *

Later that day, they dropped JJ off in the parking garage by the door to the surgical wing of the hospital. Since John B. had been ousted, JJ was the only one allowed in. 

“Just text us when you’re almost done and we’ll come right over, okay? You want us to wait in the parking lot?” Pope asked him from the front seat as he slid the back door open and got out. 

“Nah, I’m good. You guys should go try to do some fun shit. I’m sure it will be a couple hours. I want to make sure she’s good and stuff.” JJ said, not sure when her surgery was supposed to be over since his mom had stopped answering him after yesterday. 

“Good luck.” Kie said, but she looked worried. 

“Text us if you need backup.” John B. said, like he was tough and scary. JJ forced a laugh at him.

“Yeah, you’re the last person who I would call to back me up after yesterday.” He said, turning inside as he laughed. That wasn’t true and they all knew it. He looked back at them and waved over his shoulder as he went inside. 

As soon as they pulled away, he hopped back outside to vape against a wall in the parking garage near the doors. Even though he had gotten high in the hotel room, he still couldn’t relax. 

He lost track of time, zoning out and trying to keep his mind away from everything that was going on by working on a new trick when he heard a car stop next to him and a voice he thought he’d never hear again.

“Well, I’d know that face anywhere. Shit, you grew up. You miss me?”

JJ’s entire body went into fight or flight mode and he couldn’t breath. He looked up and his eyes locked on the monster.

“Tongue tied? I bet you didn’t expect to see me again. Sorry, I should have announced myself a little better. I was just dropping your mom off and she mentioned you were in town. Want to go somewhere and catch up?” The monster, or _Jeremy_ , said to him, leaning out his window.

“You...my dad said….he said...you were… he said you were….” JJ struggled to comprehend how he was in front of him when his dad had said he had taken care of him. He would have never come to Florida again if he had known he was alive or even around. He wouldn’t have even slept if he had known he was alive.

“You still can’t form a sentence? That’s okay, you don’t need to talk. That’s not what you were good at. You’re kind of big for me now, but it’s my same JJ so I don’t care either way.” Jeremy said and JJ’s anger finally took over enough for him to speak.

“My dad said he killed you!” He said, terrified and angry.

The monster laughed and JJ’s vision was clouding in at the memories it brought up. “Your daddy? He was stalking me for like a week and then he just threatened me. I mean, don’t get me wrong, he definitely tried. But in the end he didn’t really do shit.”

JJ felt like his entire world was collapsing in on him. All these years, he had been able to at least slightly relax, believing that his dad had killed him and he couldn’t hurt him or his family. And all along he had been right there, and this close to his mom.

“Aw, you thought I was gone? This must be a big shock for you. You know, I still fuck with your mom sometimes. When she doesn’t have that baby. He looks like you, by the way.”

JJ didn’t know what to react to first. The utter betrayal at the fact that his mom was not only talking to Jeremy, but slept with him? The fact that his baby brother was exposed to him? The fact that she could even look at him after knowing what JJ had said he had done?

“What’s the matter? I thought you were gonna kill me when you got bigger? Remember how you told me that? Looks like you’re the same pussy you were then.” The monster continued on. 

“I am gonna kill you.” JJ said through his terror.

“Yeah, I’m real scared, JJ.”

Something about him made JJ both fall back into terrible memories and feel angry enough to talk back. “You can’t touch my mom. I’m gonna kill you, just wait.” 

“I’ll touch whoever I want. Your mom isn’t complaining.” The monster laughed at him.

JJ turned and threw up on the sidewalk next to the wall. He wiped his mouth with his hand and tried to stand back up again, not wanting to look weak near him.

“Aw, relax. You got a girlfriend? Or a boyfriend?” Jeremy pushed him, smiling at him.

“You _ruined_ my fucking life.” JJ managed to say, angry tears in his eyes.

“Get over it, JJ, you’re a big boy now. It wasn’t all bad. I took care of you, didn’t I?” Jeremy said back. 

JJ wanted to respond but didn’t know what to say, not prepared for this ever happening. 

“You’re sick.” JJ said, wanting to say so much more. He had traumatized him so badly, he hadn’t slept right for years.

“That’s not very nice.” The monster laughed. 

“Just stop talking to me. Leave me and my mom alone.” He said, feeling like a pathetic baby that that was all he could say, but he had never had to imagine coming face to face with him.

“You haven’t changed at all. All scared, trying to protect your mommy.”

“I’m gonna tell the cops about you.” JJ said.

“Go ahead. No one will believe you. How embarrassing would that be and for what? It’s been years, they wouldn’t care anyway.” Jeremy said to him. “Come on, just get in. We can catch up somewhere.”

“No! Get the fuck away from me!” JJ said before he made a split second decision to run back into the hospital, as far away from the monster as he could get. 

He went down the hallway, not noticing when he almost knocked someone over to get to the bathroom. Once he was in it, he threw up before pulling his phone out to text Pope. His hands were shaking so much it took him five minutes just to ask him to come get him. He hid in the bathroom, leaning against the stall door with his eyes closed until Pope texted that he was there.

* * *

“What happened?” Pope said when he pulled up. “Is she okay? What’s up? Why’d you ask for just me to come?” 

JJ shook his head, unable to hold back his tears. He climbed into the back of the van quickly, unable to think straight, his skin crawling. 

“What happened, JJ?” Pope said, looking worried. “Hang on, let me pull into a parking spot and I’ll come back there.” 

He climbed back with him after parking it and JJ didn’t have the energy to tell him that he just wanted to get out of the parking garage where he had seen the monster and go somewhere else. 

“Hey, what’s wrong? Did your mom do something? Is Mimi okay?” Pope said and JJ felt Pope’s hand on his back. He pushed his palms into his eyes to stop crying. He hated that he felt like a scared little kid again and that he couldn’t act like himself and just play if off. 

“My mom didn’t do anything, that’s the problem.” He finally said, looking up at Pope. “The monster’s fucking alive! And she’s with him!”

“She what? He’s alive? Did you see him? Are you okay? We should have never left you alone! How did he-” Pope started before JJ cut him off. 

“I don’t know, Pope!” JJ yelled back at him. 

“Let’s go back to the hotel and we can all figure out how to deal with this, JJ.” Pope said and that didn’t help at all. He had texted just Pope for a reason. 

“No, you can’t tell Kie, Pope! It’s bad enough that you and John B. know this shit, I can’t deal with Kie finding out. It’s so fucking embarrassing, bro. What I let him do to me. I’m still the same piece of shit useless kid I was then.” JJ said, more to himself. He had a hand around his ankle from where he was sitting on the floor of the van and he didn’t realize he was digging his fingernails into it until Pope ripped his hand off. 

“Stop, JJ, you’re making yourself bleed! You didn’t let him do anything, he’s sick. You’re not useless, he is.”

“He was right here and I could barely talk! He’s alive, Pope! My dad lied to me and my mom’s fucking with him!” JJ said and he looked around the van before realizing that his weed was in their hotel room. He hopped into the driver’s seat and started the van. 

“JJ, wait, you don’t have a license. I’ll drive us!” Pope said, trying to climb up to the passenger seat as JJ peeled out of the parking spot and out of the parking garage. 

“I just need to get away from this place, Pope! Let’s just go get some dumbass to buy us a shit-ton of alcohol and go do something.” JJ said, not knowing where they were but he turned onto the main road, looking for something they could do or somewhere he could steal something. Peterkin wasn’t nearby to catch him this time.

He found a sketchy looking liquor store and JJ got some local drunk to buy them beer and vodka and other stuff, pulling out a wad of cash from his pocket that he had left from Rose. He shoved it in the back, ignoring Pope who was slumped so low in the front seat that only his forehead was visible, talking about the police and scholarships and getting caught. 

“No one cares, Pope! No one’s fucking looking at us. Let’s go pick up Kie and John B. and go somewhere.” JJ said to him, speeding back towards the hotel. He wanted to get so drunk and high that he forgot his own name.

“What about your grandma? Do you know if her surgery’s done? Is she okay? I can wait in the waiting room while you go check on her.” Pope said, worried. 

“I can’t go back there right now, dude. Can you check my phone and just see if there’s an update?” JJ said, shoving his phone at Pope. 

Pope was quiet for a minute and JJ looked over and he thought he saw him deleting messages. “What’re you doing? What happened?”

“Nothing. Your mom says that she’s out and it went well and she was wondering if you were coming.” Pope said, but JJ could tell there was more to it. 

“You can tell her to fuck off, Pope.” JJ said, but he let out a deep breath that Mimi was okay. He felt guilty about not being there like she had asked but he couldn’t be there for anyone right now. 

“That’s not gonna help, JJ.” He said but JJ snatched his phone back. He would text her that himself. They pulled into the hotel and JJ texted his mom, feeling good about finally saying something to her before getting out and going inside to find Kie and John B.

He heard Pope behind him telling him to talk to him but he couldn’t. He probably should have texted John B. to pick him up instead but deep down he knew he had needed Pope the most, even if he couldn’t accept his help yet.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, they were all back in the van, pelting towards Disneyworld, JJ getting drunk with John B. while Pope freaked out in the front with Kie. 

“Are we almost there?” John B. asked for the fifth time in ten minutes and Pope finally snapped. 

“No! We’re not almost there! You guys decided to make us drive an hour away so how can we be there after just ten minutes? Put the beer away before this trip gets even worse!” Pope yelled at John B. and they all looked at him except for JJ. 

“Woah. What’s wrong, Pope?” John B. said, drinking his beer and throwing the can into their hiding spot in the seat compartment. 

“What’s wrong? JJ’s clearly going through some serious shit and instead of us helping him, we’re driving away from his grandma and towards Disneyworld to pretend nothing’s happening! And we’re stealing from Kie’s parents! That’s what’s wrong!” Pope said to them, angry.

“Sometimes it helps to just distract yourself, Pope. Come on, loosen up. My parents will get over it.” Kie said and that didn’t help calm Pope down. His eyes bugged out. 

“Get over it? After they ground you for ten years, right Kie? And this isn’t just distracting him! This is him self-destructing!” Pope said to her. 

John B. laughed. “Okay, really Pope? He’s self-destructing because he’s drinking beer on his spring break? Going to Disneyworld? Yeah, he’s out of control.” 

JJ _did_ feel out of control. His skin was crawling and drinking wasn’t helping and being high wasn’t helping and he felt like he was going to explode if they kept talking about him. 

“If you guys don’t shut up, I’m gonna get out and fucking hitchhike there. I’m fucking fine.” 

“See? He’s fine. Now let’s go to the most magical place on earth. We’ll all check on Mimi later, but if JJ doesn’t want to go there today, we can’t make him.” John B. said to Pope and Pope threw his hands up and turned back to face the front. 

They pulled up forty-five minutes later, JJ not even trying to act normal, drunk and dizzy and high. He had never been to Disneyworld, even though his mom had always said she was going to break them in when he had stayed with her and he felt a little bit better knowing that he had gotten himself there without her. And that he was farther away from the monster.

John B. wasn’t doing much better than him, but JJ walked with Kie, leaving him and Pope to argue it out behind them. 

“Kie, you still got the card? This shit isn’t cheap. Unless you want to try to sneak in.” JJ said to her.

“I’ve got it covered. Are you gonna be able to go on rides like that or are you gonna puke? This is like the boardwalk 2.0.” She said as they got in line to get tickets. 

“As if I would puke. Kie, I bet they have the best food here. Let’s try it all.” JJ said, even though he didn’t think he could eat and he probably would puke. 

He looked back at Pope and John B. and saw Pope gesturing and explaining something quietly and he saw John B. look over at him. He got really angry knowing that Pope was telling John B. about the monster when he had worked so hard to get away from him. He flipped them off before John B. seemed to shrug at Pope and walk towards him and Kie. Pope followed, looking like he was going to either murder them all or start crying and JJ knew he would have to make this up to him if he ever felt normal again. 

John B. put his arm around JJ but didn’t say anything and JJ saw the other three’s eyes widen when they heard the total for the tickets before Kie paid. JJ found that he didn’t care anymore, taking from Mr. C. He was tired of him and Kie was right. He had messed with him a lot this year. He told himself not to think about how he had given it right back.

“We’ve gotta thank your parents for giving three broke Pogues a chance to go to Disneyworld.” JJ said as they went in. 

“We’re so dead.” Pope said. 

They lasted three hours before shit started to go down. JJ had tried to join them on all the rides, but he and John B. had both gotten sick halfway through, John B. from eating too much and JJ from drinking too much and from thinking about what had happened earlier. 

They were walking past the Dumbo ride when JJ walked towards the line and got in it. They all followed him and he pulled out a joint from his pocket, shaking it at them. 

“How sick would it be to smoke up with Dumbo?” He said to them. 

“No! N-O. Put that away before someone sees! There are cameras everywhere and they _will_ arrest you.” Pope said immediately, reaching to take it but he had already stepped back and put it in his pocket. 

“I dare you to try that. You’ll light it and everyone will be yelling at you and sell you out. I bet you take one hit before you get ripped off Dumbo.” John B. dared him and JJ opened his mouth to respond but Pope dragged them all out of the line. 

“We’re not going on that anymore. There are kids on there, JJ.” He said, looking at Kie for backup.

“Don’t look at me like that, Pope. I’m on your side. You two are dumbasses.” She said to them, but she was laughing. 

“Where can we do it then, Pope?” JJ demanded, needing to get high as quickly as possible since he was sobering up. 

“Um, nowhere here!” Pope said, like they were crazy. 

JJ picked up a random half-full cup of beer off of a table as a family got up and walked away and chugged it down before someone yelled at him and they ran into the crowd to avoid getting caught. 

“JJ, who knows what that dude had. Why would you drink that?” Kie asked when they slowed down again. 

“It was free beer.” JJ shrugged, not seeing the big deal. He felt someone push against him and he turned, angry and ready to fight. He saw Goofy looking back at him and he felt the urge to push him, knowing there was a person inside the costume. 

“Can you give me some fucking space? Damn.” He said. 

Goofy held his paws up in surrender and grabbed John B. instead, putting his arm around him. John B. laughed like he loved being hugged by a grown man dressed up like a dog and JJ grabbed John B. from him and saved him.

“Get off us!” He said and Kie and Pope were looking at him like he was crazy. Maybe he was. But he didn’t like Goofy’s vibe and he never had. 

“Relax, JJ, it’s literally Goofy. What the hell?” Kie said. 

“It’s not Goofy, Kie. It’s some asshole dressed up like Goofy and he pushed me on purpose. Fuck him.” JJ said and Goofy had moved onto Pope, who looked more creeped out than John B. had. 

“Touch one of us again and I’ll knock your ass out.” JJ said to him, stepping up to him. Goofy let out his stupid laugh and held his hands up again but he moved onto Kie, trying to hug her and JJ saw red. 

He shoved Goofy, who fell backwards dramatically, arms flailing before he hit the ground. Everyone around them gasped and some kids started crying. 

“Hey! You can’t do that to Goofy!” A man yelled at JJ. 

“Oh yeah? Well, looks like I just did! What are you gonna do about it? You wanna go next, man?” He said and Pope grabbed him as a crowd started to form. Goofy was struggling to get back up, some moms and kids helping pull him. 

“Can we get security over here? He just assaulted Goofy!” He heard a woman say.

“Okay, I think now it’s safe to say that we need to run.” Kie said and they all booked it through the crowd. They were laughing and JJ wanted to join but he didn’t think it was funny. 

They made it out of the gates without being caught and into the van, John B. pulling out as fast as he could. 

“I can’t believe you just pushed Goofy!” Pope said but he was laughing. 

“I wish we had that security footage. Actually, do you think it will be on the news later?” Kie laughed. 

“You’ve always hated him, JJ. But come on! You straight up assaulted him!” John B. added and it was true. JJ had always hated Goofy but that wasn’t why he had pushed the asshole.

“I didn’t assault anyone! He made that way more dramatic than it was, flailing his arms and shit.” JJ scowled, lighting his blunt.

JJ wished shoving Goofy had been the craziest thing that had happened to him that day. 

* * *

“JJ, get down!” Pope whisper-screamed at him when he stood on top of the lifeguard’s tower later that night. They had snuck into the pool after hours and no one had noticed yet but JJ wanted to try a cannonball from up high and had climbed up to the top of the tower to jump off. 

“Just go to bed like Kie if you can’t handle it, Pope!” He called back. 

“You aren’t gonna do it.” John B. called to him from the pool. JJ jumped off at that, but he was high, so he scraped the back of his leg as he jumped, coming up for air with a stinging cut. 

“Oh my god! You’re bleeding in the pool! Get out! The pool’s turning red, JJ! We need to get out of here! Do you know how much money they’ll charge us if we get caught now?”

“Yeah, you’re quiet now, bro. You didn’t think I would jump? It was only like four feet off the ground!” JJ said to John B, but he pulled himself out of the water with difficulty and looked at the cut. 

“Let’s go! We need to go inside!” Pope whispered to them again, reaching over to grab JJ’s arm and pull him up. 

“Get off me, Pope! Just go inside yourself. We’re having fun! If you can’t join, just get lost, man.” JJ said, pulling his arm away. 

“I’m sorry I’m trying to help you instead of just going crazy with you and ignoring the literal elephant in the room!” Pope said, getting mad after a long day of shit. 

“If you want to help me, you’ll stop telling me what to do and just let me have fun!” JJ said back. He was angrier than Pope. Not at him, but he was there and he was easy to take it out on. 

“Hey, both of you need to chill. We can go in, Pope, it’s fine. That fancy ass bed is calling my name anyway.” John B. said, getting a towel. 

“Thank you! Finally, some reason.” Pope said, relieved. 

“I’m staying here. It’s not everyday we get a fancy ass pool to ourselves. We can sleep anytime.” JJ said, but honestly he didn’t even want to stay in the pool alone. He just knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep and didn’t want to have to face his thoughts in the quiet room while they all slept peacefully. 

“Come on, JJ, it’s like two am.” John B. said, scrubbing his hair with the towel. “I’m fucking tired.” 

“Then go.” JJ said, using pool water to splash on the cut. 

“We can’t leave you alone at the pool when you’re high.” Pope said. “Just come with us and let us go to bed.” 

“I just said no! I can do whatever I fucking want. If I said no, then fuck off and listen to me!” JJ called to Pope. 

“JJ, come on. Stop being a dick and let’s go.” John B. complained and JJ saw them look at each other.

“Fuck you, John B. You’re the dick, man. I know you guys were fucking talking about me today behind my back.” JJ said, kicking the water with his foot before getting up. He almost fell in and John B. went over to grab him. 

“Yeah, well this isn’t a good place to talk about this. We can talk tomorrow when we actually aren’t high and have slept.” John B. said and Pope was hanging back, letting him handle it. 

“I’m not talking to you tomorrow! If you have some shit to say, just say it! Don’t be a pussy.” JJ said, sitting back down on the edge of the pool, dizzy. 

“JJ, let’s go, bro. Come on. You’re making it worse for yourself.” John B. said, but he sat down next to him. 

“Making what worse?” JJ said. 

“You need to talk about what happened to you today, JJ. It’s a big deal and we want to help. I know it changes everything for you, knowing he’s alive and seeing him.” Pope said, sitting down on his other side. JJ tried to stand up, feeling trapped but John B. yanked him down again. 

“You gotta let us help you. Let us in.” He said to JJ. 

“Don’t tell me what I’ve gotta do! I can talk to you and I can talk to Pope and I can tell you all this shit but at the end of the day all it does is make me feel worse and it gives you guys nightmares and it’s fucking embarrassing. You don’t _get_ it. So don’t sit here and tell me what I’ve gotta do.” JJ said to them and he was angry that he felt tears coming up. 

He started to stand up again and John B. pulled him back down and he pulled his knees up to his chest and to his horror he started to cry for real, letting it all come up, putting his head in his knees. This was worse than before, both of his friends witnessing what a pathetic baby he was. The only thing that would have made it worse was if Kie had been there. 

“You don’t have anything to be embarrassed about.” He heard Pope say to him. 

“You don’t get it. He ruined my fucking life. The only reason I could even pretend I was okay was knowing that he was gone forever. I can’t fucking do anything if he’s out there.” JJ cried. 

“Don’t get mad, okay? But I think you should consider telling the cops. He could go away for a long time.” Pope said. 

“He already fucking told me that no one would believe me. He’s right. I mean, I have no proof right? It was years ago. It would just be everyone thinking I’m a fucking pussy and for what?” 

“He’s wrong and he’s the pussy. Don’t listen to anything he told you.” John B. said angrily.

“I don’t know how I’m gonna keep going knowing he’s out there.” JJ admitted, picking his head up a little to wipe his tears away angrily. He kept his head down so he didn’t have to look at them. 

“You will because you have us. I think we should leave tomorrow and start by just getting away from here. Do you wanna go say bye to your grandma in the morning and we can leave after that?” Pope asked. 

“I don’t think I can go back there. It’s just another thing I fucked up. She asked me to do one thing and I couldn’t even do it.” JJ answered.

“You don’t have to but I think it would mean a lot to Mimi. I don’t care who we have to bribe, I’m coming back there with you. And Pope and Kie can wait in the waiting room like before. We won’t let you be alone again. I’ll text your mom and make sure she’s not there when we come.” John B. said. 

JJ felt better at that idea and nodded a little bit, knowing he needed to. He didn’t want to leave without saying bye to her and making sure her surgery had gone well, but he was terrified of seeing the monster again or his mom after she had stuck with him.

“Thanks, John B.” He said. He just wanted to feel like himself again. He wondered if he had ever really felt like himself since he had met the monster as a kid. 

“You’re not alone.” John B. said before changing moods, grabbing him and putting his arm around him and giving him a noogie because what he said was way too emotional for them. 

JJ pushed him off of him and he fell like a rock into the water. 

“Help me get out, Pope.” John B. said when he came up for air. 

“Dumbass.” Pope said to John B. when he held out his hand for him to take. “As if I’m taking your hand so you can pull me in” He was smiling a little and JJ could tell he was relieved that they had talked a little.

John B. grabbed Pope’s ankle and Pope flailed his arms for a second just like Goofy before falling in weirdly and JJ decided to get away from them while he could. He stole both their towels and tried to hop over the gate to ditch them but he was too high and ended up just falling down on the other side. 

“And that’s why we’re going to bed.” Pope called from where he was encouraging John B. to get out. 

“You’re just salty that you fell in like Goofy just now.” JJ said.

“I’m gonna tell my kids that Uncle JJ clocked Goofy at Disneyworld.” John B. said. 

“Damn straight I did. And I’d do it again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to any Goofy lovers out there!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Two more chapters left!❤️️


	26. What Happens in Florida, Stays in Florida

“I swear to god, you guys were having a farting competition last night.” Kie complained when they woke up.

“If we were, you were part of it, Kie.” JJ said, arm over his eyes. He felt like he was going to throw up and ran to get to the bathroom.

“You sleep over at the Chateau all the time. You don’t complain then!” He heard John B. saying as he hovered over the toilet.

“Yeah because we all have space!” Kie said.

JJ threw up and it drowned out the rest of their fight. He sat against the wall, wiping the involuntary tears that had come up from it and closed his eyes to stop the dizziness. 

“You cool?” Pope said as he came in to brush his teeth. 

JJ kept his head leaned back against the wall, giving him a thumbs up.

“I’m just ready to get the hell out of this state, dude.” JJ said. He hoped he would feel better just getting away from where it all happened. 

“Yeah. Well, I’m gonna shower and stuff but John B. says he wants you to go to the pool with him before we have to check out. He wants to see if there’s blood in the pool from last night because it’ll ‘look sick’.” Pope said and JJ forced himself to get up.

“It will look sick. I bet it’ll look like some kind of zombie movie.” JJ said, leaving the bathroom. 

He and John B. shoved all of their shit in their bags so that they would be ready to check out so Kie and Pope couldn’t yell at them and went down to the pool. 

There was a sign blocking it off, saying that they were cleaning after an ‘incident’ and JJ and John B. tried to look innocent before going to sit by the hot tub instead. 

“Yo, that mom’s checking me out.” JJ said, leaning back on his palms to look cool. 

“She’s looking for a place to put her bag, dumbass.” John B. said, rolling his eyes and splashing him with the water. 

They sat there for a while, feet in the hot tub, JJ lost in his thoughts and hungover and John B. probably trying to think of what to say. 

“I couldn’t reach your mom. Do you still wanna go say bye to Mimi?” John B. finally asked him. 

JJ was terrified that they were going to get there and the monster and his mom were going to be there, but he had to say bye to Mimi. He tried to tell himself that his mom wouldn’t be awake this early. 

“I have to say bye to her. I’m a piece of shit for not being there yesterday.” He said.

“No, you’re not. Your mom’s the piece of shit. Did you think about what we said last night? About the cops?” 

JJ shook his head already before he finished the sentence. “I’m not telling them. There’s no proof.”

“But maybe he’s done this to oth-” John B. started. 

“I’m not telling them, John B! I’m going inside so we can get this shit over with.” He said, getting up and walking away without waiting for him. John B. had no idea how powerful the monster was. How he never lied when he threatened someone and how he could be so nice around the right people so no one would suspect that he was a monster. If he told, the monster would kill his mom or Mimi or his friends or his dad.

He ignored John B.’s voice telling him to come back.

* * *

“Did you make a plan for telling your grandma?” Pope asked him as they sat in the lobby of the hotel, John B. and Kie at the checkout desk. As soon as Pope said that, JJ stood up to go over to them instead. 

“JJ. Seriously, JJ?” He heard Pope say as he walked away. 

“I’m sorry about him.” Kie was saying as he got to the desk and John B. looked at her like she was crazy. 

“What, Kie? Is it so bad to try to plan my future? I want to invest in one of these bad boys when JJ goes pro. Imagine having your own hotel.” John B. said.

“Oh, so you finally admit that you won’t go pro? What makes you think I’m gonna give you my millions?” JJ said, trying to ignore Pope’s sigh from behind him. 

“No, I just think you try crazier shit so you might go pro easier. You know I have more talent. And because I got you where you are today? Whose board did you learn on?” John B. said, putting a hand to his ear to hear JJ’s answer. 

JJ shoved him. “Shut up. As if it matters that I used your shitty board when we were kids, bro. Who got you a sick new board this year?” He put his hand up to his ear to imitate John B.

“Can we go?” Kie said and Pope nodded, the two of them walking away from John B. and JJ’s fight. 

JJ got high in the van, the only place where Pope said he could. He made them park in the corner of the parking lot so no one would smell it and for once he didn’t complain as JJ did it. 

“I hate to break up the smoke sesh, but my parents are flipping out and I told them we’d be back today so we kind of need to go say bye to your Mimi and drive the whole ten hours today. Or they said they’re flying here themselves.” Kie said as she texted them back. 

“Good thing you made us wake up early as balls.” JJ said, feeling slightly more relaxed now that the high was starting to creep in. “I’m surprised it took them this long to threaten that. They’re probably gonna have Shoupe and Peterkin waiting to arrest us for kidnapping.” 

“You can’t kidnap someone if you’re a kid too, JJ.” Pope said from next to him. He took the blunt from him as soon as John B. started to back them out. “And we can’t smoke on the road. We’ll get pulled over.”

“I need that Pope.” JJ said, trying not to sound desperate but he really did need it. His mind was all over the place and his heart was beating so fast and he just needed something to relax so he could keep pretending to be semi-normal.

“Pope’s right. I’ll be sent to boarding school if we get arrested on top of everything. Put it out.” Kie said. 

“Boarding school? What is this, The Grinch?” JJ said. He definitely needed to smoke the whole thing. They didn’t know what he needed.

“The Grinch? When did he go to boarding school?” Kie answered. 

“Um, like the entire movie? They were all locking him up and beating him with Christmas trees and then he had to fight off those short people in the town and shit?”

“What Grinch did you watch?” Kie asked him. 

“There’s only one Grinch, Kie. Get with it.” JJ said. 

“JJ, finish it and put it out. I'm driving now.” John B. warned him, pulling out onto the road. 

“I already put it out.” Pope said to them and JJ sighed. 

He couldn’t stop tapping his fingers and his feet against everything in the back of the van. He sat all the way in the back, on the floor, trying not to openly panic as they got closer to the hospital. He couldn’t help but look around for the car the monster had been driving yesterday.

They had to stop on the side of the road halfway there for JJ to slide the door open and lean out to throw up, his stomach rolling as they got closer. Kie thought he was hungover, and he was, but that wasn’t why he was sick. Nobody corrected her.

They parked and went in, only having success with getting John B. to go back with him because it was a different nurse so their ‘cousin’ story worked again. Pope and Kie waited in the waiting room and JJ felt both better that they were all with him and worse, scared that the monster was going to be around and could hurt them. 

“I’m gonna go in first to make sure it’s just Mimi.” John B. said when they got to the door. He stuck his head in, keeping his body in the hallway with JJ.

JJ heard John B. talking and couldn’t help but feel paranoid, looking around the hallway while he waited. John B. pulled his head out and moved out of the way. 

“It’s just her. I’m gonna wait out here.” John B. said and JJ relaxed a little bit. 

“Thanks, dude. I owe you.” JJ said, walking in a step. 

“Just get me some beer and we’ll call it even.” John B. said as JJ closed the door. The room was darker than it had been the other day and the machines were beeping but they seemed steady and JJ smiled when he saw Mimi smiling at him before he started crying. He felt so guilty, like the biggest piece of shit ever that he hadn’t been there for her when he had asked. 

“Hey, come here, baby, it’s okay. Tell me what happened.” She said, reaching her hand out for him and he didn’t want to worry her anymore and tried to stop acting like a little kid. 

“No, it’s nothing Mimi. I’m just sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up.” He said, sitting down in the chair next to her bed and taking her hand. She squeezed it and gave him a look. 

“Don’t give me that bullshit, I don’t care about my own selfish request. What happened? Your mom was going crazy in here yesterday, I had to kick her out.” Mimi said to him and she looked angry. He got worried that she would get too worked up and it would ruin what her surgery had tried to fix. 

“You did?” He asked, wishing he had known. He would have visited her sooner. 

“She was upset about something with you but I couldn’t really tell and I had to get her out. She’s using again, I could tell two weeks ago and it’s never been clearer. She doesn’t even have the baby with her anymore. And she keeps going off with some guy.” Mimi said. JJ didn’t know how much he should tell Mimi, not wanting to upset her. He hadn’t thought she would have seen anything. His stomach clenched at the mention of the monster. 

“Yeah.” JJ said. He didn’t know what else to say about it. 

“What did she say to you? I’m sorry, baby, I should have never asked you to come here.” Mimi said to him. JJ knew if she had almost had another heart attack about the plane money, the truth would kill her on the spot so he made up a lie. 

“She was just mad about my dad. It’s fine, Mimi. I wanted to come see you because we’re gonna leave Florida so my friend Kie can get home.” JJ said.

“Ok, baby. I’m sorry about your mom- I’m still working on her, I promise. When I’m better, I’m gonna come visit you, okay? This summer maybe, for your birthday. Does that sound good?” Mimi asked and JJ felt guilty, torn about leaving without telling her about the monster for the baby’s sake. He figured maybe he and Pope and John B. could figure out a solution for that. Or he could tell her in a few days, when she was stronger.

He just nodded, forcing himself to smile a little bit. “Yeah, that sounds like the shit.” He said and she laughed. 

Her eyes were closing so JJ knew it was a good time to leave. He was worried about her, but he felt good that he hadn’t caused a second heart attack and hoped his mom could do the same. 

“I’m gonna go and let you sleep, okay? I’ll call you in a few days, okay? So I can check on you.” JJ said and she squeezed his hand. 

“Wait. I need a hug!” Mimi said and he awkwardly bent over to try, worried about pulling a wire out. 

“I love you.” She said, kissing his cheek. 

“Yeah, I love you, too. Keep sleeping and stop worrying about me.” JJ said as he pulled away. She was already falling asleep by the time he got to the door. 

As they were leaving her room, his mom was coming down the hallway and JJ let John B. pull him over to the other side away from her. 

“JJ, I’m glad I caught you! I need to talk to you.” She said to him, reaching for his arm. 

“He’s not talking to you, so get off him.” John B. said, pulling him away from her. 

“This has nothing to do with you, Jimmy Z.” His mom said to John B. and JJ felt more pissed that she couldn’t even remember his best friend’s name. He couldn’t help looking behind her and around for the monster.

“Actually, it does have to do with me because he’s my best friend and you’re trying to ruin his fucking life.” John B. said back. 

“JJ, just give me two minutes. Please? Who knows when we can talk like this again.” She said.

“We’re leaving.” John B. said but JJ decided that he had to know what she had to say about the monster. He had to find out. 

“John B, it’s fine, I’ll talk to her for a minute. I’ll be right back.” JJ said, walking over to the corner of the lobby with his mom before John B. could stop him. 

“I’m waiting right here!” John B. yelled over at him, ignoring the looks he got. 

“What? I have to go home. With my friends. We have a ten hour drive, thanks to you.” JJ said. He had never really talked to his mom like that but it felt good. 

“Jeremy said you saw each other yesterday. Is that why you texted me to fuck off? I kept texting you to explain, but you didn’t answer.” She said and JJ’s stomach flipped at how she called him Jeremy like he was the love of her life. Her messages must have been what Pope had deleted. 

“How can you talk to him?” JJ asked her, trying not to cry at how much it hurt. He had known the monster was telling the truth, but part of him had hoped he had been lying and his mom had nothing to do with him.

“Ok, look, JJ, I didn’t want you to see him, but you don’t remember what happened. Your dad made you say that stuff about him to get back at me. Do you remember that? Jeremy really cared about you! But I told him not to talk to you if he saw you because I know you’re confused about him.” She said and JJ took a physical step back at how much that hurt. 

“You’re high. He didn’t make me say anything!” He said, not able to say anything else. “He ruined my fucking life! Every single night you left us alone and he did whatever he wanted to me. You weren’t there! And now you’re with him!” 

“Look, this is why I wanted to talk to you. It was so long ago, you don’t remember! You’re confused. He would never do what you said! Your dad-”

“I’m not confused! I remember it all! You were high! I wasn’t!” JJ said loudly and he didn’t care that other people looked over. He couldn’t believe her. This was definitely the worst thing she had done to him. 

“That’s just not true, you don’t know what you’re saying. Do you want to sit down, the three of us and talk about it? He wants to fix this.” She said, but she was looking over his shoulder and he could tell she wanted to get away from the conversation.

JJ couldn’t find the words right away and she took that as a yes, pulling her phone out to text him. He sat down on the windowsill next to them and rubbed angry tears out of his eyes before his mind caught up that she was trying to bring the monster here and he shot up.

“No! I’m leaving and I’m telling Mimi, too. You can’t let him get near the baby. I’m gonna tell the police so he can’t touch him.” JJ said, standing up and walking over towards John B, who was already almost to them. 

“Wait! Don’t tell her, she’ll cut me out of her life! The baby won’t be near him, JJ!” His mom was saying, itching her arm. “Promise me you won’t tell her!” 

“Just leave me alone and get away from me!” JJ said when she reached for him as he and John B. started to walk away, towards a bathroom instead of the waiting room where Pope and Kie were. 

“Not everything’s my fault, JJ! You’ll see that when you grow up.” She called after him but John B. just yelled at her to stop talking to him and they closed the door.

John B. let him cry like the stupid loser that he was in the bathroom and told him he had done a good job and that he was the shit and a whole bunch of other stuff that wasn’t true, but made JJ finally feel normal enough to get up the energy to leave the bathroom so they could go home.

He couldn’t wait to leave Florida.

* * *

“We’re officially out of The Sunshine State!” Pope said to them as they crossed into Georgia. JJ couldn’t help but relax a little bit, knowing they weren’t in the same state as his mom or the monster anymore. 

“You cool, JJ? You haven’t made any dumbass jokes. Not even when we passed that lady driving in literally just a zebra bra.” Kie said to him.

“Yeah, I’m all good, Kie. Why wouldn’t I be?” JJ said and he meant for it to sound happy but it came out in monotone. 

Kie didn’t say anything back, probably not sure how to continue. He knew she thought he was just upset about his mom, which was fine with him. He wasn’t going to clarify it for her. Ever.

“How much longer do we have, Pope? I need to get gas again.” John B. said, swerving on the road when he bent to itch his ankle. 

“John B!” Kie screamed as they almost hit a truck and it laid down it’s horn at them. 

“Shit. Sorry, I have a bug bite on my ankle.”

JJ’s foot tapped something and he picked it up from under the seat. 

“Hey Kie, you want to split the last one?” He said, showing her the warm can of beer. 

“It’s like ten thirty in the morning, JJ.” She said, like that was an answer. 

“And…?” He said, cracking it open. Pope’s head snapped around at the sound.

“JJ, put it away, now! You guys should have left me at the hospital because I swear to god I’m gonna have a heart attack, too. We’re gonna get arrested.” He said, but JJ chugged it before he finished talking. 

“I could’ve chugged it faster.” John B. said, looking at JJ in the rearview mirror instead of at the road. They almost hit an RV and Pope yelled at him again. 

“Pull over, John B! That’s the second time in two minutes that we almost just died!” Pope demanded and John B. shrugged, taking the next exit so they could switch. 

“I’m driving, Pope. If you drive, we won’t be back until Wednesday.” Kie said when they stopped at the gas station.

“I can drive.” JJ offered, just to see their reactions. He pushed John B. when he climbed over him into the back to switch places with Kie. 

“Ow, JJ!” John B. said from where he had face planted into the seat, pushing him back. 

“This piece of shit is so expensive to fill up.” Kie complained through the open window as she started to pump the gas. 

“She can hear you, Kie.” JJ said to her.

“Guys, shut up! My mom’s calling me.” Pope said, looking nervous. JJ didn’t know what he was worried about. His parents had literally said he could come. Pope started to awkwardly juggle answering his mom’s questions about Mimi and Kie and JJ.

JJ had one ear listening to Pope and the other focusing on his own thoughts in his head when he noticed what was happening to Kie.

“Fuck you.” He heard Kie say and his head snapped up from where he was trying to tie John B’s shoelaces together to look over, seeing the same truck they had almost hit on the road pulled up at the next pump.

“You need to apologize, girl. Why don’t you come over here and maybe we can work something out.” He heard and he saw John B. look over too. They saw a huge man leaning out of the truck, leering at Kie and JJ wanted to fight him immediately.

“As if I would get near you. Keep it moving or I’ll call the cops.” Kie said to him and JJ reached for the beer can to throw at him if he needed to as he and John B. got out of the van.

“You lost, man?” John B. said to the guy. 

“No, I ain’t lost, Justin Bieber. You fucking idiots almost hit my truck in your clown mobile and I’m telling your friend she needs to make it up to me.”

“Justin Bieber?” John B. said, stunned by the comparison. JJ stored it away for later use.

“She’s not doing shit. Get the fuck out of here before we make you.” JJ said to him, angry from the past few days and not scared to fight this asshole. 

“Yeah, I’m real scared, Tweety Bird.” The man said to JJ, licking his lips when he looked at Kie. 

“Tweety Bird?” JJ said, thrown off like John B. 

The man made a kissy noise at Kie and they all gave each other disgusted looks before JJ threw the beer can at him. The guy caught it before it hit him and threw it back at them, opening his door. 

“Guys? What the hell is going on?” Pope’s terrified voice called from inside, finally realizing that something was happening. 

“You’re gonna regret that.” The man said, hopping out and approaching them. They stood their ground, JJ trying to block Kie as he got closer, looking at John B. to see what their plan was. The man was huge.

“Hey! What’s going on over here?” They heard someone call and they looked over and saw what must have been the manager from the store walking over to them. The trucker turned to tattle on them and JJ took the chance to reach over and yank down his droopy sweatpants, revealing his hairy ass. 

“Shit! Get in!” Kie yelled at them, ripping the door open as the man tried to pull his pants up, tripping in his hurry to cover up.

“Drive, Kie! Floor it!” JJ said to her as she hit the gas and they peeled out back onto the highway, tires screeching. 

“Is he following us?” Kie asked them frantically. 

“No. He’s probably still trying to get his pants back on.” JJ said, already done thinking about it and back to feeling angry and anxious. 

“Why would you do that, JJ?!” Pope freaked out. “I’m literally on the phone with my mom and then I hear all of this shit going down! I had to hang up so she wouldn’t hear!”

“Shut up, Pope! The guy was literally being a total fucking creep to Kie! He deserved it! We lost him, so it’s fine.” JJ said, pulling his baggie of weed out. 

Pope unbuckled his seat belt and climbed into the back, grabbing the weed from JJ and chucking it out the window and onto the highway. 

JJ and John B. stared after it with their mouths gaping open in shock, before JJ kicked him. 

“Why the fuck would you do that to me, Pope!” He yelled at him. 

“Not cool, Pope.” John B. added.

“I’m trying to help you! You’ll go to juvie if we get pulled over! You can’t afford to get caught by the cops for anything else!” Pope yelled back.

JJ wanted to cry at the thought of going the rest of the day and probably night without any weed. He only had a few bucks left after their trip and would have to figure out a way to bribe Jordan to give him an advance and that only ever worked depending on his mood. 

“You’ll survive without it, JJ!” Pope said when JJ stayed silent. 

“Fuck you, Pope! Stop telling me what I need and don’t need! Not all of us get high from reading a fucking textbook!” JJ yelled, climbing all the way to the back to get away from him. 

“Hey, JJ, that’s not cool. He’s just trying to help.” John B. started but Pope cut him off. 

“So you  _ need  _ to go to juvie?” Pope demanded, ready to fight back. 

“I wasn’t gonna go to juvie! I was gonna get high, put it away and feel a tiny bit better than the piece of shit I feel like now for part of this fucking drive!” JJ said back, crossing his arms and disappearing behind the last seat. 

“The whole van would have the smell flying out of it and we’d be pulled over in a second! We’re not in Kildare!” Pope said back. 

“There’s a cop, Kie.” John B. warned her as they passed one sitting in the median strip of the highway, speed gun pointed at everyone. She slowed down right on time. 

JJ knew Pope was giving him his ‘I told you so’ face, but he ignored him. He couldn’t believe Pope had wasted his weed like that and had taken the only thing away from him that was helping him deal with everything.

“We have a long enough drive left without you guys fighting over dumb shit. Pope, you don’t do that to someone’s weed. Ever. JJ, you’ve been a dick to Pope for the past two days, so you should say sorry because he’s literally just trying to help.” Kie said from the front. 

JJ stayed quiet, but he felt a tiny spike of happiness when he found another beer that must have rolled towards the back from Disneyworld. 

The pop when he opened the can made them all look at him, but he didn’t care. He wanted nothing more than to get out of the car and be back in Kildare, able to get away and have some space without anyone else being nearby. 

“Share the love, Tweety Bird.” John B. said to him, scooting towards him.

JJ just flipped him off, chugging it before he could get to him. He needed it more than John B. knew.

* * *

Eight hours later, they were rolling up to Pope’s house, cool with each other again and happy to finally be back in Kildare. JJ had apologized to Pope after Kie had bought him some new vape cartridges to shut him up about the weed, Pope had apologized to him and John B. had gotten them all free food after he had flirted with the lady at a drive through window. 

“That’s not good.” Pope said as they got closer to his house and saw his parents and the Carreras waiting in the yard. 

“Shit. Why’re they here? I told them I’d come straight home!” Kie said, sliding down in the seat.

“We’ve got a code red. Over.” John B. added, pretending he was on a walkie talkie. JJ rolled his eyes. He didn’t know why they were being so dramatic. Kie had just texted them that they were almost home, of course they were stalking her at the Heyward’s. 

They pulled up and Pope and Kie got out, John B. and JJ staying in the car to leave before the drama. They knew their presence wouldn’t help Kie’s case with her parents. 

“Kiara!” Mrs. Carrera cried, running forward and hugging Kie. Mr. C was standing next to Heyward with his hands on his hips and JJ wasn’t jealous of Kie. 

“John B. and JJ, get your asses out here, too. We all need to talk about what went down.” Heyward called to them. 

“Just floor it, bro. Don’t even think, just throw it in reverse.” JJ whispered to John B, climbing into the passenger seat. 

“I’m not gonna floor it, JJ, you dumbass. We live on a tiny ass island, Heyward will just hunt us down. Let’s just smooth it over for Kie so we can go home. How mad can they get at you, your grandma almost died.” John B. said, turning the car off and sliding out. 

JJ sighed dramatically before getting out and walking over a few steps towards the group. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with other people’s parents right now. He couldn’t even deal with himself.

“How’s your Mimi, JJ?” Mrs. Heyward asked him, walking over to him and putting an arm around him. “I haven’t heard from her so I’m guessing she’s still recovering, right? Pope said the surgery went well, that’s good news!” 

“Yeah, she’s good, Mrs. H. She’ll probably text you back soon, she’s just tired as... she’s tired.” JJ said, stopping himself from cussing in front of Kie’s mom. He didn’t think that would help her case either. 

“That’s real good news, it really is. And we’re real glad y’all came back in one piece. But taking Kie when you knew her parents weren’t cool with it? That was stupid and irresponsible. Not to mention disrespectful.” Heyward said and JJ tried to force himself to care, but he just couldn’t. Luckily, John B. was able to fake it enough for the two of them. 

“We’re really sorry Mr. and Mrs. Carrera, we shouldn’t have let Kie come. She wanted to be there for JJ and we were safe the whole time, we promise.” John B. said, using his voice he used to talk to parents. 

“ _ Let  _ me come? I do what I want, you didn’t  _ let  _ me do anything!” Kie said, annoyed at John B.’s wording. He looked scared and shut up. 

“Safe? My daughter was alone with three teenage boys, going across state lines and sleeping god knows where!” Mrs. Carrera said and John B. looked scared to answer her. 

“It was a Marriott, Ms. Anna. And it’s totally tectonic between us, we might as well all be girls. She wasn’t alone.” JJ stepped in. He didn’t see what the big deal was. It was over and done with. 

“Platonic, JJ.” Pope said.

“How did you afford a Marriott? I thought you were staying with JJ’s mom?” Mrs. H asked and JJ shrugged. He wasn’t going to explain that part. He couldn’t believe the Heywards had thought that was a true story.

“We couldn’t. I knew you guys would be even more pissed if we stayed in some shitty motel JJ found so I used your credit card, Dad. You can ground me all you want, but I’m not sorry for supporting my friend!” Kie said, pulling away from her mom. 

“You did  _ what?! _ ” Mr. C yelled and JJ took a step closer to the van, wanting to leave. He already had an angry dad, he didn’t need to be around another. 

“And we might have used it for food, too. And Disneyworld. Sorry.” Kie said, laying it all out. JJ thought she was either really stupid or really brave. 

“Disneyworld? How much did that cost? I thought you were there for JJ’s grandma! Sounds more like Spring Break to me! That was your idea, Kiara?” Mr. C yelled. 

“We  _ were  _ visiting his grandma! But we needed a day to take his mind off of it!” Kie said, but she looked upset and JJ felt bad that she was going through this just because of him. 

“Ok, we’ve been really patient, Kiara. Letting you spend time with  _ them  _ instead of the girls from your school that we pay a lot of money for. But for you to sneak off with three boys, one of whom I know has tried to make moves on you before,  _ and  _ steal my credit card? You’re grounded until the end of eternity.” Mr. C said and everyone freaked out about different parts of what he said. 

“Mr. C, I never tried to actually date Kie, I swear. That was a joke.” John B. said, thinking he meant him. Pope was looking at the three of them in shock and JJ just raised his eyebrows. Mr. C could dig his own grave with Kie. 

“Dad! JJ and I never did shit! He just told you that so you would back off me about school!” Kie yelled, but she looked at JJ, probably hoping no one would say anything about the rumors that had spread from Rafe.

“Look, Mr. C, it was my fault. I made Kie take your card and come with us and I made us go to Disneyworld since we had it. Think of it as a donation to charity.” JJ said, deciding to just take the blame and be a dick to distract them from Kie. John B. and Pope and Kie all started to try to fight that but the parents shut them down. 

“JJ, that’s just wrong, son. You need to apologize. That wasn’t your money to take.” Heyward said to JJ and JJ barely held himself back from getting angrier, knowing that would make it worse for Kie. He didn’t want to apologize to Mr. C.

“I’m sorry.” He forced himself to say, but he was glaring towards a spot in the yard and took another step towards the van. “John B. and me need to get going.”

“No, JJ- hold it! This is the second time you’ve stolen from me this year! Now the first time, I thought we worked that out pretty well, but here we are again. To encourage my daughter to take my credit card is wrong and just saying sorry isn’t going to fix it. I’m glad your grandma is okay, but you still need to face consequences for this. You aren’t learning.” Mr. C said angrily. 

“It wasn’t JJ, it was my fault. We told Kie to use it. Pope and me.” John B. said and Pope made a scared noise, but stayed quiet. 

“What do you mean it’s the second time JJ’s stolen from you? The first time you said it was Sam!” Kie said to her dad and her mom put her arm around her, trying to calm her down. 

Mr. C realized what he had revealed and looked at JJ quickly before looking back at Kie. “It was. That’s what I meant.” He lied badly and JJ knew Kie didn’t buy it. He was surprised he was even trying.

“What-” She started but Mr. C cut her off. 

“It’s time for you to go home, Kiara. Say bye to your friends because you won’t be seeing them for a while.” Mr. C said and Kie stomped away towards the car with her mom after saying bye, angry tears falling. “JJ, I’m taking you home.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you!” JJ said and Heyward was all over that. 

“JJ, don’t be disrespectful.” Heyward said to him. 

“It wasn’t even him, though! He didn’t do anything. We all decided to use the card! His grandma almost died! She’s like, the only good person in his family!” John B. said and JJ was worried he was going to reveal some shit about his family and just wanted to get away from all of them before that happened. 

“Yeah, it was all of us. He’s just taking the blame, like he always does.” Pope agreed. 

“Shut up, guys. Stop covering for me. You know I made Kie do it. Just once, let me take the blame for the shit I did.” JJ said. 

“I think all of y’all are guilty of something. Pope, go inside and start studying for school or something. You’re grounded for a few days.” Heyward said. 

“Pope didn’t do anything! All he did was try to stop us! It was three against one!” JJ said in Pope’s defense. 

“JJ, it’s fine. I’ll see you guys in a few days.” Pope said, going inside.

“JJ’s been through a lot, Mike. It sounds like all of them played a part. You know how teenagers are when they get together, away from home. We should have checked with Pope earlier to get them to turn around and bring Kiara back. I’m sorry.” Mrs. Heyward said to him. 

“I know he has, but he and I have been through this before. If he says it’s him, he’s gonna have a consequence. I know part of it was Kiara’s choice too, unless you’re saying you grabbed it from her and forced her to pay.” Mr. C said, turning to JJ. 

“We all just decided.” John B. said at the same time that JJ said. “It was all me.”

“Alright, let’s go, JJ. I’m not gonna tell your dad, I just want to talk more about how you can pay this off.” Mr. C said. 

JJ got super angry at the patronizing mention of his dad and the reminder that Mr. C had called DCS on him and had promised to help his dad and never had. He had just been through the worst days of his life, he wasn’t going to continue it by getting in the car with Mr. C so he could “talk” to him and lecture him or whatever else he wanted to do to make himself feel like he did something.

“I’m not going with you and you can’t make me do shit. We just talked, I said sorry, I’ll pay you back and that’s all I have to say. You can’t order me around!” JJ said, reaching out to snatch the keys from John B.’s hand. “Let’s go, John B.” 

“JJ, sweetie, we know you’ve been through a lot, but don’t speak to him like that.” Mrs. Heyward said and JJ felt bad ignoring her but he needed air and felt like he couldn’t breathe with everyone attacking him and telling him how to feel and what to say. 

“Look, I’m sorry to everyone, okay? I’m sorry for being rude as shit and for telling Kie to do that shit! It won’t happen again, okay?” JJ yelled back as he made it to the van. He heard John B. apologizing before he started the car and began to back out and John B. hopped in at the last second.

“Well, that was some crazy shit. Real smooth, JJ. I’m glad you took the blame for something you didn’t do with the last person on the island you needed to screw over again.” John B. said as they drove away.

“I fucking hate Kie’s parents.” JJ said, speeding towards their side of the Cut. “He can’t do shit to me, I just wanted to help Kie.” 

“Yeah, but he’s not the dude to cross. Pope and I could’ve taken the blame.” 

“Why? What’s he gonna do? You and Pope have done enough.” JJ said, turning onto John B.’s street. 

“I bet you he’s gonna do something now.” John B. said to him. “What was he talking about with you and Kie?”

“He’s a dumbass. I told him that Kie and I tried to mess around or whatever back when those rumors were going around to get them to back off her about school.” JJ said.

“As if Kie would let that go down.” John B. laughed. “I’m gonna miss that fucking amazing hotel bed. You sleeping over?”

“I need to go home, dude. I haven’t been there in like four days.” 

“Why’re you going to my place then? Just drive to yours and I’ll drive home from there.” John B. said and JJ was surprised he didn’t say anything about him going home. 

“My bike’s at your place.” JJ said, pulling down his driveway. He got sad when he didn’t see the Kie rooster, remembering the bumpy start to their trip. 

They should have known not to go on the trip with how it had started. 

* * *

When JJ got home, his dad was passed out on the sofa, surrounded by beer bottles and pill bottles and sleeping like a baby. JJ almost wanted to shove him off the sofa and yell at him about how he had lied to him about the monster, but he couldn’t do it. Even if his dad hadn’t murdered the monster, he had at least tried. He tried not to believe what the monster had said about how his dad hadn’t done shit. 

He woke up the next day and grabbed his bong first thing, relieved when he found a stash in his room. He was hoping it would help control the anger he felt at everything that had happened. He wasn’t used to just feeling  _ angry.  _ Eventually he rolled out of bed, almost falling onto the floor, shoving some stuff in his backpack for school. He had no idea what time it was and didn’t care about being late or even going to school. He didn’t care about anything.

He heard his dad as he walked down the hallway and he took a deep breath before going into the living room.

“Hey. Where you been?” Luke said to him when he was almost to the door and JJ could tell he was in a good mood, most likely high, which made his own anger go away slightly. 

“Mimi had a heart attack so I was visiting her.” He said, ready to run in case he got mad that he had stayed in communication with her. 

“What? You were in Florida? How’d you even get there?” Luke said, looking surprised and JJ was glad that he made him feel something other than anger for once. 

“John B. drove me.” He said, leaving out the details.

“You see your mom?” Luke asked him when JJ took a step closer to the door. He wasn’t surprised that he didn’t remember telling him not to talk to Mimi or that he wasn’t asking how she was doing. 

JJ bit his lip so hard, he tasted blood before turning back to him. 

“Yep.” He said, not giving him more. 

“She sober?” Luke asked. 

JJ just shrugged, not wanting to talk about her. He was pretty sure his dad was high on pills, slow and relaxed. He never seemed to realize that he and his mom did the same exact shit, just that it was only okay when he did it. 

“What? Did she say some shit to you?” Luke said again and JJ got really angry, really fast, knowing he could get away with it since his dad was high the way he was. 

“Nothing worse than the shit you say to me.” He said, deciding to just leave, reaching for the doorknob. 

His dad went to grab his arm. “Get over here! I know I can be hard on you sometimes, but you know I love you. She doesn’t care about you.” 

“You lied to me!” JJ said, ripping his arm away and stepping away from his dad. 

He saw some anger start to creep into his dad’s face, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t used to him talking back but he couldn’t stop himself.

“What the hell are you talking about? I didn’t lie about shit.” Luke said to him, walking over to the sofa and collapsing onto it. JJ didn’t think he had a lot of time left before his dad was going to either fall asleep or pass out. 

“Yeah, you did. You told me  _ he  _ was dead but he was there! He was right there with her! Talking to me. He told me that you didn’t do shit to him. You told me you killed him!” JJ said, not caring if his dad needed a minute to figure out who he was talking about. He would have never said that if he hadn’t been high himself, but it felt good. It took some of the anger away.

He watched his dad’s brain churning as his words sunk in before he saw him realize what he was talking about and he sat up a little bit. “You talking about that junkie perv from when you were a kid? You saw him?”

JJ couldn’t handle talking about it anymore and turned to leave again but his dad yelled at him to stop, surprising him. 

“I never fucking said I killed him. You think I’m a murderer? I said I took care of it because I thought I did. What the fuck did he say to you? Did he touch you?” Luke said. 

“You told me I would never have to worry about him! What was I supposed to think you did? You left for a week!” JJ said back loudly, one hand on the doorknob. He was surprised his dad wasn’t trying to grab him. They never talked this much without it ending like that.

“I didn’t think you’d see him again! Why the fuck did you go there? This is why I told you not to fucking talk to them!” Luke said but JJ needed to get away so he just opened the door and hopped down the steps, trying to control his breathing. He felt good that his dad looked like he actually was stressed out about something and he felt better just leaving for once instead of sticking around to experience it with him.

“JJ! Get back in here when I’m fucking talking to you before I make you!” He heard from behind him and he was shocked that his dad had been able to move fast enough while this high to make it to the door to yell at him. He couldn’t help the pathetic part of him that hoped that maybe his dad did really care.

“Why should I?” JJ said, confident that his dad couldn’t get to him. 

His dad still didn’t look as angry as usual and was quiet for a second before calling to him. “I’m gonna fucking explain what happened.”

“You can say it here.” JJ said, not wanting to go inside where his dad could beat the shit out of him. He didn’t think he would, but he didn’t want to risk it. He had been surprised before.

His dad went to sit on their front steps and didn’t totally fall over while doing it, making JJ unsure of how high he actually was. He had thought he was close to passing out, but now he thought he had read him wrong. He went closer and leaned against a tree, still far enough from his dad to get away if he snapped. 

“You were a kid when you were there, so I don’t know if you remember but your fucking mom made me give you to her. She was threatening all this shit about the cops and custody and taking you away forever if I didn’t.” His dad started and his hands were fiddling with a part from a motor that was on the steps, not looking at JJ. 

JJ didn’t say anything. He already knew his mom had made his dad give him to her and he didn’t really want to hear about it again.

“As soon as I saw that motherfucker, I knew he was a piece of shit. But if I had known that he was sick like that, I would’ve driven away with you.” He said and if JJ didn’t know better he would think his dad was going to cry, his head bent down and his voice rough.

“Dad-” JJ started, feeling like he needed him to stop talking.

“Shut up! Let me finish. You kept calling and crying to me and I kept trying to get you back but she wouldn’t say where you were. And then when you finally came back, you were so messed up. And when you told me what he did to you, I couldn’t do anything but think about getting revenge. So, yeah, I hunted him down. And I beat the shit out of him and I broke his fingers and I knocked some of his fucking teeth out. And I told him if he ever even thought about you again, I’d kill him. And I thought he fucking listened, but I guess I was fucking wrong.” Luke said and JJ saw him wipe his face. 

JJ didn’t want to hear anymore. He should have known the monster had been lying about his dad not doing anything. He hated that he had let him think that for even a second. 

“I’m sorry, Dad.” JJ said. He wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for. Whether it was for yelling at him or saying he didn’t do shit or for making him cry or for existing and causing all these problems or all of it. He just knew he was sorry.

His dad didn’t answer and his head was still down and JJ went over and sat down next to him. His body told him that was stupid, but he didn’t care for once. He felt sorry for his dad and felt like it was all his fault. He felt like everything was his fault.

“You should’ve never gone there in the first place. I should’ve found a way to fucking stop it.” Luke said. He still wasn’t looking at anything but the part in his hand. JJ had never heard his dad talk like that before and he didn’t know what to say.

“It’s okay.” JJ said to him. 

“I’m sorry I fucked up.” His dad said and it was the first time in his life that his dad had ever  _ really  _ said he was sorry for anything. He had done his own version of apologies for tons of shit throughout his life, but he had never said the words “I’m sorry” unless it was sarcastic. 

JJ knew he was crying too, the weight of everything from the past five days catching up to him. He tried to figure out what to say, wondering when he would stop ruining everyone’s lives. 

“It’s okay, Dad...it wasn’t your fault.” He finally said to him, wiping his eyes before his dad noticed. 

His dad reached out a hand without looking and put it in his hair, pulling him towards him for a second before letting go and standing up to go inside. 

“Yeah, well, it wasn’t yours either.” He heard him say under his breath before he went inside. JJ felt like a dam had broken inside of him at those words. All this time, he had thought it was all his fault and had thought his dad blamed him for it. He cried alone on the steps for a minute, letting his dad’s word sink in. 

He couldn’t dare to believe it was true, but he couldn’t deny that the words meant more than anything coming from his dad. For the first time in five years, he thought that maybe,  _ maybe  _ , it had all been the monster’s fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He can be nice sometimes?
> 
> I think this was maybe the fastest ever in between chapters, but the next (and last) one will definitely not be fast or very soon, but I will try not to make it too long! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	27. Gold Skies

By June, JJ started to finally feel fully like himself again. School was over, it was the beginning of the summer, he hadn’t failed tenth grade (thanks to Pope) and it was time for him to finally turn sixteen. 

On the morning of his birthday, JJ woke up at home, having gone home drunk, in the middle of the night from the Boneyard, hoping that he and his dad would do something during the day for his birthday. He usually managed not to be a total asshole to him on his birthdays and they always did something, with the exception of two years ago, when his dad had been so angry and in such a bad mood that he had refused to do anything with him, leaving all day and finally coming home with a six pack for JJ before passing out on the couch that night.

It was quiet when he woke up and he got up and checked, seeing his dad passed out in his room through his cracked door. He ate some eggs, waiting for him to wake up and smoked a blunt. Eventually his dad came out, stumbling around without any clear goal before saying some weird shit to JJ, drinking some beer, swallowing some pills and passing out on the sofa again. 

JJ had stood in the living room as his dad’s eyes shut, trying to hold back tears when he realized that he wasn’t going to be doing anything with him today, not in the state that he was in. He told himself that it was better that way, with Mimi in town and him having dinner at the Heyward’s later, but it still hurt. His dad hadn’t even said Happy Birthday.

He had texted his friends, lying and saying he and his dad had spent the morning out on the Phantom before going to meet them.

And that was where he was now, waiting in the kitchen of the Chateau with them before his birthday dinner. 

“Did you get them?” JJ demanded as soon as Kie came in. 

“Oh my god, worst day of the year, I swear.” Kie said as she threw the bag at JJ’s head. He caught it, pulling a gummy out and shoving it in his mouth. 

“After tomorrow we don’t have to listen to him, Kie.” John B. said. “He’s still maturing, aren’t you JJ?” 

“Shut up. You act like you’re so mature. You guys have to do what I want until midnight, it’s a birthday rule.” JJ said, chewing obnoxiously, swinging his heels into the counter from where he was sitting. He was feeling better already.

“Yeah and we literally try, but you’re so demanding!” Kie said and Pope raised his eyebrows when JJ put another gummy in his mouth. 

“JJ, slow the hell down. The last thing we want is to be babysitting your ass in front of your grandma and my family!” Pope said and John B. stole the bag from him, grabbing some. 

“They’re mine! Get off, bro! It’s not everyday that I get Kook edibles. You’re gonna eat them all!” JJ said, kicking him. He lost a few in the battle, watching as they fell to the floor. He gave John B. a smug look, but he surprised him when he bent over and picked them up off the floor and ate them anyways. 

“You’re gonna die, you idiot. You can’t handle that many.” JJ said, laughing at him. He ate a third one.

“They taste like big wads of cash and pink polo shirts.” John B. said through them. 

“Alright, I agree with Pope, that’s enough!” Kie said, snatching them from JJ. She pushed him and he pushed her back a little bit before she shoved him harder and he held his hands up. He stuck his tongue out at her, revealing a mouth full of half smashed gummy bears and she pretended to throw up. 

“You’re disgusting. Are you guys even ready? Isn’t she coming at six?” Kie said to him, looking at the clock on the beat up oven. 

“Duh, we’re ready, Kie. We don’t gotta dress up or anything.” JJ said, jumping off the counter. “How many Tourons’ numbers can I get later tonight at the Boneyard? You guys wanna bet on it? If I get the most, you have to scrub my bike for me and get me a full tank of gas.”

“You’re out of control. Can we just have dinner with my parents first?” Pope asked, looking scared for the night ahead. JJ wanted to offer him a gummy because he knew that would solve all of his problems, but he knew better. 

JJ saw Mimi’s station wagon coming down the driveway through the window and hopped up, excited to get his party going. 

“Shotgun!” He yelled, running outside and hopping in before they had even realized what was happening. 

“You’re fast, sweetie! You excited for your birthday dinner?” Mimi said when he got in. 

“Yeah, it’s gonna be the shit, Mimi! Pope told me his mom is making a huge cake and getting like a hundred pizzas.” JJ said as the others crammed in the back together. He had already told her five times, but he was excited.

“You sure you aren’t actually turning eight?” John B. laughed at him. 

“Shut up, John B. You’re just jealous that you can’t eat as much pizza as me.” JJ said. 

“Well, I’m just glad I get to go to your lovely parents’ house with my baby again, Pope! And that I got to see you for a few days, JJ.” Mimi said. She had come a few days ago and was leaving tomorrow morning and even though JJ had been anxious that seeing her would bring up the memories from Florida again, it hadn’t ruined it. And he had been relieved to find out that she had the baby with her full-time instead of his mom after he had told her about everything a few months ago. 

“I can’t believe you’re sixteen! I remember when you were born. You were so cute! You still are. And you had the cutest baby butt. And we all loved to-” Mimi started bragging before JJ cut her off when Pope and Kie and John B. started to struggle to contain themselves in the backseat. 

“Shut up, assholes. John B. and Pope, you jealous? I’ve still got the second cutest ass in the group. Right, Kie?”

“Um…” Kie started, wanting to tell him to shut up and to fuck off but feeling awkward in front of Mimi and JJ knew it. 

“Don’t ask your friend that, sweetie. That’s weird.” Mimi said to him, patting him on his knee. 

“Yeah, JJ, that’s weird.” John B. laughed at him. 

They pulled up to the Heyward’s right as the high was hitting them and JJ thought it was hilarious when he couldn’t open the door to get out and when John B. almost locked Pope in the car by accident. 

“What’s so funny?” Mimi asked, oblivious. JJ knew she wouldn’t be oblivious for long, especially since Heyward would notice right away, but he figured he got a free pass on his birthday. 

“Oh my god, help me.” Pope said under his breath when JJ tried to pull off John B.’s bandana without untying it, choking him. They both thought it was funny and JJ knew Kie was wishing she had joined in on the gummies instead of staying sober. 

“Ok, relax, sweetie, I know you’re excited it’s your birthday but you’re choking him.” Mimi said to him, putting her arm around him to try to make him chill as they walked up to the house. 

It only took about three minutes inside for them to be called out. Pope was sitting next to Kie on the couch with his head in his hands as John B. danced with his grandma while Mimi and Mrs. Heyward were finishing the cake in the other room.

“Jombay’s got the moves!” JJ laughed stupidly, trying to do the same with Kie right as Heyward came into the house from closing the store. “Oh, shit, the big boss is here. Heyward, want to tango?”

He took one look at the scene and shook his head. “Y’all are high as kites, aren’t you?” 

“Why’re you always accusing us of that, Heyward? You know, I think you’re the one who’s high as a kite and you want to take the heat off yourself.” JJ laughed as John B. tripped and Pope got up to save his grandma, helping her back to her chair. 

“C’mon, JJ, on your damn birthday? I thought we were gonna have a nice little party for you, but y’all had to show up here acting like clowns. Pope, control your friends. I don’t like ‘em.” Heyward said, going to leave the room. 

“Hey, aren’t you gonna say ‘Happy Birthday’? It’s literally a birthday rule, you can do whatever you want and no one can tell you ‘no’.” JJ called to him, even though that was definitely not how his birthdays went for him with anyone but his friends. 

“What rule is that? I’ll tell your ass ‘no’ any day. No. And Happy Birthday, but I’m still letting your grandma know.” Heyward said as he went into the kitchen to tattle.

“Who are these white girls?” Pope’s grandma piped up from her chair, looking at JJ instead of Pope. 

John B. and JJ got all offended but Pope and Kie thought it was hilarious. 

“They’re not girls, Granny. They’re John B. and JJ. They’re my friends.” Pope said loudly to her, once he stopped laughing. 

“Jombee and Geejay? What kind of names are those? They need haircuts.” She said before falling asleep, snoring. 

Two hours later, they were all at the table, lights out. JJ was trying to act like it wasn’t a big deal but he was excited to get a cake and for everyone to sing to him, like they always did on tv and at everyone’s birthday parties. He had definitely never had a homemade cake made by someone’s mom with everyone waiting to sing to him before. 

It wasn’t that his dad had never gotten him a cake or cupcakes for his birthday. He had, but it had never been homemade and he had definitely never sung for him. The most he usually had was some shitty cupcakes from Kie while they sang to him off key after sneaking some beers, since he always made up big lies about what he and his dad did.

As they sang, Mrs. Heyward put down the huge cake in front of him, decorated with sprinkles and blue icing and big sparkler candles. It was way better than the time his dad had bought him a cake on his eleventh birthday on the way home from fishing and he had eaten it for dinner in the car with his dad thinking it was hilarious that he didn’t even need a fork. 

“You’ve gotta make a wish and blow them out, honey!” Mrs. Heyward said to him when he just kept staring at it. He thought of his wish right away and blew them out in one go, trying not to get emotional when they clapped for him.

“Just so you know, it doesn’t matter if you wish to be better than me at surfing every birthday you have. It’s never gonna happen. Deal with it, bro.” John B. said to him right away, ruining the moment.

“Jombay, he _is_ better than you at surfing, as much as it hurts me to say it cause I know what it does to him.” Kie said and JJ swiped a chunk of icing off the cake and threw it at John B. 

“Hey! No throwing the damn cake! I swear, if your grandma wasn’t here, I would have kicked both of your stoned asses out.” Heyward said when John B. did it back. 

“It’s my birthday though, Heyward. So I can do what I want.” JJ said to him, grabbing more before Mrs. Heyward and Pope blocked him off and moved the cake away to cut it. 

“The hell you can’t! Not in my house.” Heyward said and JJ laughed at that before Mimi bent over from behind him and grabbed him and hugged him to stop him. 

“When you’re fully grown up, you can do what you want.” She said, patting him on his shoulder. “Until then, you can’t throw cake. Especially not big, delicious ones I want to eat! And you shouldn’t get high, but we’ll talk later.” 

“Is it my damn birthday again? Feels like I have one every week.” Pope’s grandma said, waking up in her chair and noticing the cake.

“It’s JJ’s birthday, Granny.” Pope said to her loudly. 

“Is that the girl in the flower blouse, the with all the bracelets or the one in the tank top?” She asked him and Kie and the Heywards couldn’t hold back their laughter. Mimi held hers back, which JJ appreciated. 

“JJ. The one with the bracelets.” Pope said, laughing. JJ threw one more chunk of cake towards him before he was stopped.

“Happy Birthday, Geejay.” Pope’s grandma said before falling asleep right as a big piece of cake was slapped in front of her. 

“Be thankful I’m not an old grandma, honey.” Mimi whispered to him and he nodded.

“Sick!” JJ said when he saw the tie-dye inside of the cake. “Can I take the rest of this shit home, too, Mrs. H?” 

“Of course! It’s yours, sweetie.” 

“Sweet! There’s my dinner for the week figured out.” JJ said, smiling before realizing the adults were all staring at him.

“If you need dinner, you come over here anytime. You know that, JJ.” Mrs. Heyward said first. 

“No, I just meant I’m gonna eat cake all week instead of real food cause it’s, like, a birthday law.” JJ said, trying to clear it up. He felt Mimi and Mrs. Heyward looking at each other and knew they would talk about his dad later. 

The rest of the time passed quickly, all of them devouring half the cake, the other half wrapped in a big container for JJ to take home, along with pizza and other snacks. JJ knew Mrs. Heyward hadn’t believed his cake story, but he wasn’t worried. 

Mimi gave him a lot of cash and a framed picture of them from when he was a kid that he had no idea had ever been taken. He figured he would have to hide it from his dad, but he loved it anyways. It almost made him feel like he had a normal family. Heyward said his present from them was taking the boat out once and only once to go deep sea fishing, which was exciting enough for JJ and John B. to exchange a look and make him threaten to take it back. 

Mimi dropped them off back at the Chateau, crying when she said goodbye and squeezing him to death. JJ knew he should be embarrassed at his age, but he never got squeezed and cried over so it just felt good. He knew John B. was watching and didn’t have anyone like Mimi in his life anymore and so he pushed him towards Mimi so he could get the same treatment. 

He knew it had been a good dinner when he almost couldn’t imagine getting drunk at the Boneyard because of how good he already felt. They somehow made it there after smoking more of Jordan’s best birthday weed, Pope following behind, lecturing them on overdoing it and scholarships before he finally started getting drunk himself and shut up. It was definitely the best birthday JJ had ever had, hands down. 

He won the bet at the Boneyard, too. Even though it hurt that his dad hadn’t even texted him.

* * *

The next day, they all woke up at different times, hungover and groaning from the sun pouring into the Chateau. 

JJ felt good after throwing up and when nudging Kie and Pope didn’t work, he went to bother John B. He looked dead on his stomach, mouth hanging open and JJ couldn’t resist pranking them all. He filled up a pot of freezing cold water, throwing some of it on Pope first before he yelled and woke up Kie, who saw him right away and sat up, pointing at him. 

“If you fucking come near me with that, I swear to God, JJ, I will _murder_ you.” She said and he held up his other hand in surrender. 

“I hate you.” Pope said, ripping his wet shirt off and trying to hit JJ with it. 

“You won’t hate me when you see John B.’s ass. He’s, like, totally asking for it. You want to do the honors?” JJ said, avoiding Pope’s shirt and holding out the pot. 

“Aren’t we kinda old for this?” Pope said, but he took it and went towards John B.’s room. As soon as they opened the door, they were hit in the face with dirty clothes, John B. jumping out the window to avoid the water. 

“I fucking knew your ass was faking it, man!” JJ yelled, laughing and climbing out after him. John B. had stopped to puke by a tree, winded from having to get up so fast. He grabbed the hose and pointed it at JJ to stop him. 

“You’re so fucking predictable, dude. You do the same shit with the water every time. Get a new trick. You should grow with age, instead you stay the same. You're mentally like a ten year old. It’s kind of sad.” John B. called from where he was standing. 

“Why don’t you shut up and hose my bike off like you’re supposed to, loser?” JJ laughed at him. 

“If you want to get your license, you gotta be nice to me cause I’m the only one that can forge your dad’s fucking stupid-ass signature on the forms.” John B. laughed back at him, running inside and locking him out before JJ heard a scream. He must have met Pope and Kie and the cold water. 

An hour later, they were all in the van, driving towards the mainland to go to the DMV like they had six months before for John B, but with much better weather and even better vibes.

“Alright, here’s what I’ve got. Two hydroponic blunts, pre-rolled by moi, five bucks and one of Mrs. Cooper’s ‘special candies’.” JJ said, laying it out in the back of the van.

“What’s special about it?” Kie asked, turning to look at it.

“Well, if you want one you gotta mess up a lot. Like, a shit-ton, Kie. And then you gotta make a comeback and bring your ass to school and somehow pass tenth grade. That’s how you get them. I think they’re edibles.” JJ said seriously. 

“They’re not edibles, you dumbass _._ ” John B. said, laughing. “They’re literally knock-off Jolly Ranchers. She gives those to everyone.” 

“Does not. Anyways, here’s what I got.” JJ said, pushing it into the middle of the floor for them to see. 

“And we care about the weird shit you keep in your pockets, why?” Pope said in a monotone voice, eyebrows up. 

“I’m glad you fuckin’ asked, Pope. It’s for our bet. If I get my license on the first try, you have to smoke one of these bad boys. If I don’t pass, I smoke both. Deal?” He said to him, waving one of the blunts at him.

“Why would I make a deal like that? So either, I get high and you’re legally on the roads, which is terrifying, or you get high, I have to babysit you _and_ drive your ass around.” Pope said to him, shoving the pile of shit back towards him, stealing the candy. 

“John B? Bro. What can we add to this bet to get him involved, dude? You got any of that high quality Kook vodka from Ward’s yacht?” JJ asked him, wrestling Pope for the candy. 

“As if I’d put it into that pile if I did.” John B. said. 

“Kie? What’re you adding?” JJ said, ignoring John B. 

“Hmm, let’s see.” Kie said, rooting in her bag. “I’ve got a half used bottle of nail polish and a card for a therapist that my parents are making me go to.” 

JJ choked laughing. “I’m sorry, what? They’re making you do what now? That’s some Kook shit if I ever heard it, Kie.” 

“Therapy is for anyone, JJ.” Pope said seriously. “That might be good, Kie.” 

“I don’t need therapy, Pope, my _parents_ are crazy, not me. Here. You want the card? I have weed to help me.” She said, getting annoyed and ripping it in half before chucking it back at him. 

“Damn.” JJ laughed, but Pope took it and put it in his pocket and JJ looked at him weirdly, but didn’t say anything. “That’s messed up of them, Kie. Tell them you don’t need some shrink cause you got us to help you with your problems.” 

“Gee, thanks, JJ.” Kie said, rolling her eyes at him. “How about, I don’t need therapy and they’re crazy.” 

“That goes without saying. Why don’t you just do what I do and use Pope?” JJ asked and Pope looked at him in surprise before JJ smirked and finished his thought. “If he says something’s a bad idea, I know it’s gonna be some fun shit and I go for it, straight away. Bang! Easy as a lemonade or whatever they say.” 

“It’s easy peasy lemon squeezy, JJ.” John B. said, laughing at him. “Imagine if you and me went to one, dude. We’d kill them during the first session or whatever from all of our shit.”

JJ laughed back but Pope was looking at him and he distracted himself by pretending to light one of the blunts, just to make Pope snap out of it and stop him. 

Pope grabbed it before he could even put it in his mouth. 

“You want to pass today or fail like John B. and be back here next month?” He asked him. 

“I drive better when I’m fucking zooted, man.” JJ said, but he let Pope keep it, knowing he needed to stay sober. “Right, John B? Remember that time when-”

“JJ, shut up. No one should drive when they aren’t sober.” Pope said like a poster in the school hallway. 

“My dad does and he never crashes.” JJ said, shrugging. He heard John B. say some shit under his breath and Kie switched topics.

“I’ve got a bet for you, dumbass. You pass on your first try and I’ll let you tell these idiots about ‘you know what’. Just as a cautionary tale. You don’t pass and I’m taking both of those hydros.” Kie said, turning to face him, smirking at him.

“Deal.” He said before she could turn all the way around, laughing back at her. 

“What did you two do?” Pope said nervously. “Did you steal something?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Pope?” JJ said, patting him on the shoulder as they pulled into the parking lot. “Actually, you’ll find out soon because I’m not letting Kie smoke my best shit!”

“That’s one way to get his ass to focus.” He heard John B. say to Kie.

“Motivation so we don’t have to do this damn drive again.” Kie said back and he flipped them off.

An hour and a half later, he was at the wheel of the Twinkie, a fresh license in his pocket, smirking while he explained to John B. and Pope why there could definitely be no Pogue on Pogue macking ever and how he swore he would never be so stupid as to try it with Kie again. 

She agreed, rolling her eyes when he made their kiss sound like it had been an actual macking session and not just a nanosecond of awkwardness. 

* * *

“JB.” 

“No, JJ. We’re not doing it.” John B. said from where he was moping before JJ had even said anything more than his name.

“I didn’t even say anything, dude!” JJ said, pretending to be offended. 

“Yeah, well, you don’t have to cause I know you. And I know that tone. You want to go do something illegal and I’m saying ‘no’ now, so you can save your energy trying to convince me.” John B. said, face smushed in the hammock as he laid on his stomach, one hand in the dirt below to push himself back and forth gently.

“Dude. Madison cheated on you like three weeks ago. Get over it and get up. There’s a whole life out there to live, man! I’m trying to cheer you up and suggest some fucking quality summer activites here and you’re acting like I just ate all your ice cream and smoked your weed.” JJ said, sitting down on the other side of the hammock and rocking them fast. 

“You did eat all my ice cream and smoke my weed. And I am over it. But I’m not getting arrested this summer cause you’re bored and want to steal shit. Go bug Pope or Kie.” 

“Just hear me out, okay? Wakeboards.” JJ said, nudging him with his foot so he would turn to face him. It didn’t work so he did it harder. 

“No.” John B. said, face completely buried in the hammock. JJ figured he must have heard him wrong. 

“Yes?” JJ said, pushing him again. His big toe went into John B.’s ear and _that_ made him flip around angrily. 

“No! I’ll spell it, too. N-fuckin’-O. I _work_ for Ward, JJ. It’s not something I want to mess up. He’s still working with those trackers to find leads on my dad and he pays me a lot.” John B. said to him, putting his own dirty ass bare foot into JJ’s face in retaliation. 

“He won’t know though cause they’re away this week, dude! He literally won’t notice. He’ll never find out. And if he does, he’d probably feel good about giving us a chance to finally try it.” JJ said, pushing his foot away.

“Yeah, no. He wouldn’t feel good. He’d fire me and we’d probably break his boards that we can’t afford to replace.” John B. said, but JJ thought he still might come around. 

“Come on, dude. It’s that or watching you mope for another two hours and I can’t handle it forever, man.” He said, mostly joking, but he shut up when John B. sat up a little, glaring at him, foot kicking him hard, for real. 

“Don’t you ever just wanna get away from it, JJ?” 

“Get away from what? Your stinky ass feet?” JJ said back.

“Everything. Your feelings and shit. Pretending everything’s okay when it’s the exact fucking opposite.” John B. said.

JJ didn’t like this topic at all, but he played it off. 

“Like a road trip? I mean, the last one was cursed, but why didn’t you just say so, man? We can totally get away from here. Where are you thinking? I’m broke but you’re kushy with Ward’s paychecks, right? Cali?”

“No, not a road trip, JJ. Just listen to me! I was thinking. You know, about what Kie has to do.” John B. started and JJ didn’t look at him, blowing vape rings towards his face instead. 

“What? Go to cotillions and shit? Go to the country club and play tennis? Have a period?” JJ said, cheering a little when one of his rings made it to John B’s nose. 

“No, you dumbass. How she has to go to therapy or whatever. With that shrink.” John B. said and JJ shrugged, not seeing the big deal. He felt bad for her, but it wasn’t something he thought about. He knew Kie could handle herself with that. 

“Yeah. Sucks balls. But if anyone can handle it, it’s Kie. She won’t give a shit.” JJ said as he blew another. “Hold still, bro. I’m trying to get it to circle your nose.”

“Yeah, it might suck, but....” John B. trailed off. “I kinda feel like it could be good, you know? To talk to someone who can’t tell everyone your shit? Someone who doesn’t know you from the island. Someone who isn’t your fucking crazy best friend who just wants to steal shit to feel better instead of talking.” 

“Stealing is how I deal with my sad feels, bro. But you can talk to me if you need to, you don’t need some fancy shrink.” JJ said, finally stopping and focusing his full attention on John B. 

“I know I can, it’s just something I was thinking about, that’s all. I read a lot about it in the winter with your situation and shit and it said it would help. I was gonna pay cash and everything and get you set up under the table for a session, but I figured you would freak so I didn’t do it.” John B. admitted and JJ tensed up, ready to leave the hammock and the Chateau and even the Cut if he kept talking about the winter. 

“If by freak you mean kick your ass, then yeah, I would have. I still will if you keep talking about that.” JJ said and John B. shrugged back at him. 

“I’m not. I’m just saying I think it might help me. I’m not trying to make you do shit you don’t want to, I’m just saying I thought about it, too.” 

“You do what you gotta do, bro. I’ll support it, even if it is you laying on a couch telling some random Kook about your problems. As long as you leave me out of it.” JJ said to him. He felt bad that John B. felt like he needed someone like that. He felt like he failed as a best friend. 

“It wouldn’t be a Kook, JJ. It’d be someone off the island. And I’m not gonna do it, I was just thinking.” John B. answered, getting up and stretching. “We can go once it gets dark, but only if Kie and Pope are down. _You_ gotta convince Pope.” 

“To jack the wakeboards? You’re down? You fucking faker, I knew you couldn’t resist the temptation. Big, empty yacht, loaded with fun shit they don’t use? It’s asking for us to take it out for a spin.” JJ said, lighting up. 

“We’re not taking the yacht for a ‘spin’, JJ. We can borrow a couple boards, that’s it. And if we mess one up, I’m blaming Rafe.” John B. said. 

“Hell yeah, John B. That’s the fucking spirit!” JJ said, slapping him on the back and stealing his keys to the van. 

It was turning out to be the best summer yet.

* * *

A week later, all of JJ’s happiness felt like it had left his body and gone to another island as he struggled to finish his work at the salvage yard, wiping sweat off his forehead. He wanted nothing more than to be done and to go out on the water, getting high and messing around. 

“Get the hell over here! I’m about to leave your ass here.” His dad yelled at him from the car as he pulled up next to him. JJ looked over from where he was finishing unpacking a new shipment before putting it down and walking over to his dad’s window. 

“I’m supposed to finish this, Dad. I’ll be done in five minutes.” He said, keeping his distance from the car. He knew his dad had come to work seriously messed up and by the sound of it, he hadn’t let himself sober up during the day. 

“You’ve got ten seconds to get in or I’m driving away. It ain’t my fault you spent the whole time fucking around.” 

JJ looked over his shoulder for Bobby, wanting to at least tell him he was leaving and would finish tomorrow, before getting in the car when his dad revved it up. His dad got in trouble all the time at the salvage yard, but he wanted to keep the job himself. It paid well and he liked it most of the time. 

“I should tell Bobby-” JJ started before he felt his dad’s fist slam into the side of his head, making his face hit the window, blood shooting out of his nose. His dad hit him again before he backed off. 

JJ was too busy trying to see straight and stop the blood from pouring everywhere to figure out what was happening right away. It wasn’t until he heard his dad’s voice did he recognize Bobby’s voice and realized that he had seen. JJ was immediately embarrassed and didn’t want to look up. He stayed hunched slightly over his lap, hand to his nose, trying to stop the blood from gushing out. 

“-he’s fine.” His dad was saying.

“What the hell, Luke! That’s your son!” Bobby said back. “Are you okay, kid?”

JJ looked up and over at Bobby who was leaning in through his dad’s window, looking at him with concern. 

“He’s _fine_. Mind your own business.” 

“Let him answer, Luke. He ain’t fine! His whole nose is gushing blood! Why would you do that!” Bobby said back. 

Luke turned and glared at JJ and gave him a look. A look he knew well which meant he better lie and lie fast to Bobby before he took it any further. 

“Yeah, I’m good, Bobby.” He said through the pain. “It’s nothing.” 

“You know what, Luke? Find a new job. You show up shit-faced, you start fights and now you’re here, hitting your kid. Don’t bother coming back on Monday. You want some ice, JJ? I can call your mom for you.” Bobby asked. JJ knew he was trying to stand up for him and help him out but he definitely hadn’t since there was nothing worse he could have done or said in this situation than firing his dad and mentioning his mom. 

Luke just rolled up his window without letting JJ answer and started to drive them out and JJ knew he was _pissed._ He stopped a second later, slamming the brakes on to yell some shit at Bobby before peeling out of the yard. JJ wanted nothing more than to get out of the car and away from him. 

The drive was silent and JJ was scared about what was to come, on guard, waiting for his dad to pull over and start beating the shit out of him. He kept his hand on the handle, ready to jump out. He wondered if he would be able to just sneak away to John B.’s when they got home or if his dad would be too pissed and make him stay.

“You stupid piece of shit. You’re gonna pay for getting me fired.” He said to him and JJ felt something in him snap, deep inside him. The past few months, the past year, he had been trying to ignore it, but the pain and the anger his dad caused was stronger than ever and he couldn’t stop his need to stand up for himself anymore.

“You got yourself fired because you showed up all messed up! It wasn’t my fault!” He said back and his dad pulled over and smashed his fist into his face, slamming his head against the window again. He popped the door open and mostly fell out, avoiding his second punch, nose gushing again. He felt the urge to cry and run away, but mostly he just felt a deep hopeless feeling that he would never be able to stop his dad or stand up to him.

“Get back in here. Dumbass.” His dad said and JJ shook his head and looked around, trying to clear the stars from his eyes and focus on where he was. He decided to run for it, even though they were deep out on the Cut and it would take forever to get to John B.’s, but his dad knew what he was planning and cut him off. 

“Get in here or I’m taking your piece of shit bike and selling it.” Luke threatened and JJ got back in, hand still on the door handle. His dad would definitely do that.

Luke sped off, not touching him again and JJ knew he was saving it for home. He pulled into the liquor store parking lot once they were back on their side of the Cut and went to get out. 

“Don’t fucking move.” He said to JJ and he clenched his jaw, wanting to be brave like John B. would be and get out anyways, but feeling worse than ever that he couldn’t even stand up for himself without fucking it up. He was sure his dad was going to kill him when they got home.

He held his hand up to his nose to stop the blood, the edge of his sleeve red and he just wanted to be able to wipe it off and check it out and get as far away from his dad as he could. 

“JJ?” He heard through the cracked window and he looked over quickly before freaking out when he saw Mr. C pulled up beside him. He cursed being on a tiny island before turning to face the other way and trying to ignore him. 

“JJ, are you bleeding?” Mr. C said to him, knocking on the glass. He heard him try the handle and it opened, JJ feeling trapped as he leaned in. 

“It’s nothing, just leave me alone. What are you even doing over here?” JJ asked, head turned away. He pulled his sleeve away to see if it had stopped bleeding but it was still red and he knew it must look bad. 

“What the hell happened to you?” Mr. C said, right when his dad came back out with a twelve pack of beer. 

“Luke, what did you do to him?” He heard Mr. C say angrily before closing JJ’s door and going around to the front of the car to meet him. 

“Mind your own fucking business. You’re on the wrong side of the island again so I’d suggest you get out of my face and stop accusing me of shit I didn’t do.” He heard his dad say back and JJ had no idea what he was talking about. He had never seen them talk before in his life. 

“No, it looks like I’m on the right side of the island, actually. I’m taking him with me and if you don’t want me to report this, you’ll go home and look at that packet real hard and pick a place. Because you need help and JJ can’t wait for you anymore if you did this.” Mr. C said back. 

“I didn’t touch him, he got in a fight. Go ahead and take him. But I’m not going to some fucking place because some uppity asshole who made it off the Cut wants to feel helpful. Get out of my face.” Luke said back. 

Mr. C stopped talking, looking through the windshield at JJ who stared back anxiously, totally confused about what was happening. He didn’t know why they were talking like they had just seen each other. He wondered if his dad hadn’t actually knocked him out and he was in some kind of nightmare. 

“You know what? Now’s not the time with him listening. I’ll talk to you another time real soon. That’s a promise.” Mr. C said before walking back over to JJ’s door and opening it. “Come with me, JJ.” 

Normally JJ would never listen to him, but with his nose bleeding, his dad looking ready for round two and Mr. C threatening to report him again, he slid out of the car without saying anything. His dad wasted no time getting in and speeding into reverse, leaving them in the parking lot. 

JJ felt dizzy and disoriented and looked around for a second before walking a few steps towards the direction of John B’s. 

“Oh no you don’t, JJ. Get in the car, I’m taking you with me to make sure you get somewhere safe. I’m not all talk.” Mr. C said and JJ really didn’t like that idea, especially since he had just threatened to report his dad again.

“No, I got in a fight at the salvage yard and I’m gonna go to John B.’s. And before you try to say I’m lying and report my dad again and ruin my life, go and actually ask Bobby at the salvage yard. He’ll tell you.” JJ lied, feeling confident that he wouldn’t go that far. He knew no one could do anything to him or his dad if he just kept lying. That had been proven the last time Mr. C had gotten involved. 

“JJ, get in. It’s not a choice. I’ll take you there, but you aren’t walking there like this. I didn’t say I was reporting anyone now, either.” Mr. C said and JJ got into his fancy suv reluctantly, crossing his arms and staying against the door. “Here, use these to wipe your face. Do you think it’s broken?”

JJ took the wipes and wiped the blood off, shaking his head. He didn’t feel like talking. 

“You shouldn’t be working at the salvage yard, that’s no place for a kid. You used to work at the country club, right? I remember you there.” He said as he backed them out slowly. JJ hadn’t put his belt on so the car was beeping at him but he didn’t care. 

“Yeah. Why?” He asked, not knowing where to put his bloody wipes. Mr. C had a fancy bag just for trash in the console and he showed it to him as he drove. 

“My friend’s the new owner. He’s looking for a busboy, same job you had, right? The pay went up, I think it’s twelve bucks an hour now.” Mr. C said, trying to act casual. JJ saw him looking at his face as he drove towards John B’s. 

That sounded great to JJ, he always loved the tips and working inside and Mama L in the kitchen, but he didn’t want to take a job that Mr. C got him and he didn’t want to look like a pussy to Bobby for quitting because of his dad. Or to be near Kooks.

“I’m good. I don’t need some cushy sympathy gig at your stupid country club.” He said, trying to be rude on purpose to make him lose interest, ready to get away as they turned onto John B’s road. 

“Let me make it clearer then. I’m gonna work on your dad, like I promised. And you work on improving your life. What you have control over, like where you work and who you work with. And that’s the end of the discussion. If he touches you again, I’m calling it in. I’m going to go talk to him later to try to get him in somewhere. A program. Because it can’t wait.” Mr. C said. 

“Calling what in? You’re gonna try that again? Ruining my life for no reason when I fucking had a fight at work because you think it was him?” JJ said, heart rate speeding up at the thought.

Mr. C ignored his excuse and just said, “I gave your dad resources a couple of months ago for him to get help.”

“What? I thought you forgot about that.” JJ said, before remembering that he needed to play it down. “He doesn’t have a problem, though. And he’ll be pissed if you go there, so that’s not a good idea.”

“I would never forget. I just didn’t want to do it with you around cause I knew how it could go. I’ll tell my friend you’ll take the job and give him your number.” Mr. C said, parking at the end of the driveway. He saw John B. in the hammock, looking nervously at the car and so JJ got out so he knew it was him. 

“JJ! Did you hear me? I’m giving him your number.” Mr. C called before he could close the door. 

“Fine. But my dad didn’t do shit to me and I’m only taking the job because it’s hot as shit at the salvage yard.” JJ said, slamming it and walking inside before John B. could start up. He knew he was rude when Mr. C was trying to help but he couldn’t stop himself. It was his reflex to cover it all up. 

He lasted two minutes before John B. was inside with him, talking his head off. 

“What the hell? Why was Mr. C dropping you off here? Did he finally snap and hit you?” John B. said, getting a beer. 

“No, some asshole at the salvage yard wanted to fight and Mr. C saw me after and kidnapped me. He gave me a cushy ass job at the country club though. Twelve an hour! Guess he felt bad for me because I got my ass beat by Bobby.” JJ lied easily, holding a cold beer up to his nose to slow the swelling.

“What? No fucking way. That’s what Ward gives me! Bet you don’t get bonuses like me, though.” John B. said and JJ did a double take when he accepted the salvage yard fight story before realizing that John B. was _baked_ and he smiled. 

John B. had been noticing less and less lately, focused on his anger about Big John and he had been more up to doing dumb shit. The two of them were sliding back into their old ways and JJ was happily there for it. The only thing John B. drew the line at was stealing, but JJ kept doing that on his own without fail.

“Share the love, bro.” He said, smiling when John B. smiled back slowly.

Two hours later, they were solidly high, laughing at dumb shit. JJ fell out of a tree he was climbing, winded from the fall before getting back up right as Pope and Kie got there. 

“Jesus Christ, JJ! I thought you were dead. You fell like eight feet!” Kie said as she got out and came over to them, carrying a cooler. 

“As if that would kill me. What’d you bring? Any adult beverages?” JJ asked, going towards the cooler. 

“Maybe.” Kie said, getting in the hammock with John B. He farted and she started lecturing him as JJ laughed at them. 

“What happened to your face? Rafe?” Pope asked him quietly, so Kie and John B. wouldn’t hear, gesturing to where he knew he had some new bruises. 

“Nah, just my dad. You know how he gets.” JJ said truthfully, the weed making it come out easily. He went towards the Chateau to get his vape. The reminder of his dad and everything that had happened earlier worked him up again and he needed to get away from Pope to get his act together enough to pretend he was cool again. He didn’t know how much more of his dad he could take before he broke completely.

Once he was inside, he went into the bathroom, looking in the cracked mirror at the damage. The anger was dulled by his high, but it was there and it scared him. When he did speak up for himself and defend himself, his dad just kept going, angrier than when he said nothing. He didn’t know how to make it stop. When he was younger, he had hoped if he just learned how to do what his dad wanted, he wouldn’t hit him. As he got older, he realized that his dad was going to hit him no matter what he did and to just accept it.

He figured his dad was waiting for him to physically fight back, but he didn’t want to hurt him or get hurt by him and he didn’t want to have to join in some kind of twisted Fight Club with his dad. He just wanted him to stop. 

He left the bathroom, wiping away an angry tear and heading back outside, psyching himself up again to act like he wasn’t going through it. He had had a great month, he didn’t want to let his dad ruin it for him.

He didn’t see Pope sitting on the arm of the pullout until he heard his voice. 

“You cool?” He asked him, looking at him with his same worried face he had whenever JJ was fucked up. He was tired of Pope looking at him like that.

“Duh. Had to get my vape.”

“It’s okay if you’re not. Your dad’s an asshole for hitting you. You don’t deserve that.” Pope continued and JJ paused for a second, not sure what to say. Part of him wanted to talk to Pope, but a bigger part of him was so used to not talking about it with anyone, with the exception of John B, that he wanted to bounce back outside. He blamed the weed when he opened his stupid mouth.

“I don’t know how much more of him I can take, man. I can’t make it stop, nothing I do works. I guess I just don’t know why he fucking hates being around me so much. And why I can’t hate him back.” He said quietly. Without waiting for an answer, he popped open the screen door and jumped down all four steps, only tripping a little bit before turning it into a cartwheel, John B. and Kie laughing at him when he fell over.

He heard Pope say something to him but he didn’t turn around. He felt the anger and sadness in his chest still there, bouncing around, ready to come out but he didn’t want it to.

So, he did what he did best and ignored it. 

* * *

A week later, it was the first week in July. They had a crazy fight with the Kooks at the Boneyard to celebrate the fourth of July, justifying that there was no better way to celebrate freedom than to fight the fucked up socio-economic system of Kildare. They all worked at their jobs during the day and messing around each night. Even Pope was relaxing, his talks about his scholarship fading with each night they spent together, his mindset shifting to summer slowly but surely. 

JJ was leaving the kitchen at the country club, pulling off his button up and shoving it into his backpack with one hand, the other shoving food Mama L had saved for him into his mouth, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He almost groaned, assuming it was the manager. He was ready for John B. and Kie and Pope to pick him up so they could go fuck around at the houses being built for the Tourons and drink and was not in the mood to put his ‘work attitude’ back on. 

He turned and came face to face with Rafe, his hair all grown back, slicked back like some kind of wannabe godfather, lavender polo shirt on. He was smirking at JJ, looking him up and down before opening his mouth. 

“Not today, asshole.” JJ said under his breath, not wanting to fight him here and end up fired in his second week back.

“Woah, what was that, JJ? Should I talk to your manager?” Rafe said loudly. Luckily, no one was around.

“My shift is over, sir. Please let go of me and go find someone who’s on duty to assist you.” JJ said loudly as the manager walked past them, turning back around. 

“I can help you, sir. What would you like? JJ, you’re good, I’ve got it.” He said, gesturing for him to leave. JJ booked it before Rafe could say anything, proud of himself for escaping with his job.

John B. honked an obnoxious beat with the horn and Kie and Pope yelled at him from the parking lot as he took his time getting to them on purpose. John B. started creeping forward and JJ ran and jumped in, flipping him off. 

“No cookies for you, John B.” JJ said, pulling out a bag Mama L had made for him. 

“See if I care. I’ve got beer, my dumbass friends and the rest of the day off. I don’t need your cookies.” John B. said back, but JJ passed him one anyways. 

“Thank god for Agatha. I dodged a trip to South Carolina to see my cousins. They’re worse than all the Kooks combined.” Kie said as they drove. “JJ, hurry up and start rolling, bro _._ What’s taking so long?”

“We’re gonna get arrested if you do that in the car, JJ.” JJ said for Pope and Pope closed his mouth, rolling his eyes. 

“It’s true. It’s bad enough that we’re about to trespass, we don’t need to add more charges.” Pope said defensively, but JJ knew he didn’t actually care too much. They always broke into construction sites and the security people were harmless and couldn’t keep up. 

“Pope. I say this with love. Can you shut up and just have a good night?” Kie said to him and JJ opened the cooler and passed Pope a can of beer, smiling at him. 

“I’ll have a good night, I just want you all to know the risks.” Pope said, but he took it and opened it. 

“After the year we had, we deserve a fucking wild summer, man. Partying every night, no one telling us what to do, no school, just us doing what we want, when we want.” JJ said. “Right, John B?”

“Hell yeah.” John B. said back. 

“And we’ve got lots of making up to do, right, Kie? All those days you spent at the Kook Academy? We’ve gotta get more revenge and take the Boneyard back and fucking win for once.” JJ continued, pulling his weed out. Pope stayed quiet and JJ smiled at him. 

“Hell yeah. I’ve gotta make up for all of that.” Kie said. 

“And Pope? We’ve gotta get you high for the first time, right? That’s my personal end of the summer goal.” JJ said, shaking the baggie at him when he got it out. 

“Oh yeah, exactly what I want.” Pope said, rolling his eyes. “Alright, alright, my turn. And JJ? We gotta get a head start on all your homework for this year, right? And we’ve gotta get ready for the SATs. And we’ve all gotta practice-”

JJ shut him up by covering his mouth with his hand. “I care too much about you to let you look crazy, man.” 

“Thanks, JJ. Pope, no more of that, okay? Just shut up and drink.” John B. said, turning into the newly constructed neighborhood. He parked in front of the biggest house and they all hopped out, grabbing some cans and sneaking around the back to get in through the open walls. 

“Sorry for caring. Pogues for life, right? I’m just trying to keep us all alive.” Pope said. 

“And we appreciate it, man, we really do. But shhh. It hurts our heads.” JJ said, putting an arm around him when they got to the empty hot tub area. 

“Pogues for life. To a crazy summer!” Kie said, holding up her beer for them to toast.

“To a fucking crazy summer!” JJ said, feeling happier than he had in a long time. 

“I love you guys.” John B. said, smiling his stupid smile he got when he got emotional.

“Don’t kill it, John B.” JJ said, but John B. grabbed him and tried to wrestle him for his beer. 

“Say it back!” John B. said, getting him in a headlock. 

“Okay, okay! I love you guys, too!” JJ said. “Pogues for life.” 

Little did they know, that was about to be tested in ways they couldn’t imagine. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra long, because I don't know how to end things! Thank you, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, even if it is as long as a textbook!
> 
> The first chapter of the sequel should be out Saturday! It doesn't have a name yet, but the beginning of it was written a long time ago so it's ready to go. It will be right after the show and very angsty of course, but they will all be reunited and be there! Just a preview, JJ will be doing a little bit of juvie, a lot of selling for Barry, and will hopefully be moving towards living with the Heywards full time (which will be sad, happy and fun all at the same time) while trying to break away from his dad. There will be drama between the Pogues of course and a lot of love, as always. And of course, all four of them will be going through it!
> 
> Thanks again for reading ❤️️


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